Kid safety before gun safety
Dear ER:
The Redondo Beach City Council is considering eliminating school crossing guards to save money, as well as borrowing millions to cover pension liabilities due to lower-than-expected tax revenues. What’s truly alarming? While we’re slashing basic safety services and borrowing just to pay the bills, the city is spending $1.3 million to plan a $17 million dollar police gun range. Yes, you read that right: the safety of our children is being put behind an expensive, speculative gun range project.
Even worse, this $1.3 million is to develop the proposal—before any construction starts. The full $17 million cost is supposedly contingent on a Federal grant covering 70% to 80%, leaving Redondo taxpayers on the hook for $3.5 to $5.1 million, plus operating costs for decades. And let’s be real: with nationwide Federal cutbacks there’s no guarantee this grant will ever come through—no matter what vague promises were made by a General from the capital.
It appears this effort is being driven more by the political ambition of a councilmember to curry favor with the police union and its campaign support than by any real public safety need. That’s not leadership, it’s trading our kids’ safety for political gain.
Stop this pie-in-the-sky gun range project now. We should be focusing on real needs—like keeping our kids safe on the way to school—and balancing the city’s budget without borrowing or cutting essential services.
Wayne Craig
Redondo Beach
Owner consideration
Dear ER:
My parents live in Hermosa Beach, and own rental property in the parking permit areas. They are 80 years old, and cannot walk for blocks carrying heavy tools. But it is impossible for them to find nearby parking to work on their Hermosa properties because Hermosa does not allow property owners to get parking permits.
Karlyn Clifton
Hermosa Beach
Chapel true to the goals
Dear ER:
We moved to Rancho Palos Verdes just as the city was incorporating, with the goals of preservation and conservation at its heart. We lived there for 40 years, so I am grateful for the good news about Wayfarers Chapel. In addition, letting the chapel’s former site go back to nature makes perfect sense, and keeping bees there is helping nature replenish. Making the honey available at the Point Vicente gift shop is brilliant. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes has shown a true faithfulness to its original goals of preservation and conservation. Plans to preserve the Point Vicente Lighthouse and the Wayfarers Chapel fulfills the wishes of the City Founders.
Barbara Epstein
Redondo Beach
Redwood resurrection
Dear ER:
I grew up in Palos Verdes and several friends were married in Wayfarers Chapel. I remember it as a rest stop during the “walk for hunger” in the early ‘70s. I understand some of the Chapel’s redwood beams have degraded and might not be usable in rebuilding the chapel. I live in Humboldt County in a home surrounded by Redwood trees. If Redwood beams are needed, I would be willing to donate suitable trees. Although logistics of transportation could be difficult.
Colleen Tarr
Humboldt
Redondo Parker remembered
Dear ER:
Not only was Parker Herriott active in Hermosa Beach, he was equally active in Redondo Beach (“Memorial for activist Herriott,” ER June 5, 2025). He worked to get council meetings televised, he worked to preserve historic homes, he worked to improve Dominguez Park, and he was forever videoing historic events. We owe Parker so much for his activism. Just a great South Bay guy who loved people. He also worked on local campaigns for council. We’re going to miss you Parker. Thanks for everything you did.
Steve Colin
Redondo Beach
Parker’s Park a Noble effort
Parker Harriott was described by La Playita owner Harold Cohen (top photo) as “The Happy Warrior” during a gathering of friends and community leaders on Sunday at Noble Park, at 14th Street and The Strand in Hermosa Beach. Though named after a financial contributor, the park was Parker’s creation, Cohen said. “After his first four park ballot measures failed, I told him to stop wasting his time. But he wouldn’t listen. And on his fifth try, in 1992, he got his park initiative passed.” Former Councilmember Jim Rosenberger (bottom photo) recalled Parker telling opponents who complained the park would attract undesirables, “Just call the police and tell them to throw the councilmen out of the park.”
Photos by Kevin Cody
Wayne’s statements are not factual. While the budget is still in deliberation, I’ve heard no one suggest eliminating the crossing guard program or even eliminating any current crossing guard positions. The only comment I recall is capping crossing guards at their current level. The application for the Federal Grant should be submitted in early July. And we are going for 100% Federal funding for the range and moving/rebuilding public works facilities that share the site. The funding Wayne references was approved in the CIP last year, not this year’s budget. And so far there has been no call to cut any services from public safety. All I have heard is support for the decision packages in the budget that includes increased investment in public safety. And the school crossing program is under the PD budget.
Setting the Record Straight on Crossing Guards and the Gun Range
The Mayor’s recent comments are inaccurate and misleading.
First, the notion that capping or removing crossing guards was never seriously considered is simply false. These actions were discussed openly at two City Council meetings—on June 3 and June 11, 2025—as well as during a luncheon attended by the Mayor on June 5. That same evening, at a District Council meeting I attended, the idea of removing some crossing guard posts was again confirmed. A council member, who had criticized the failed negotiations with the school district to share crossing guard costs, was contacted by a school district representative—not to offer any cost-sharing, but to suggest reducing the number of guards.
Second, regarding the $17 million police gun range, the Mayor is also wrong about how it entered the budget. Last year’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) did not contain a line item dedicated solely to a federal grant for a gun range. After Measure FP passed, $1.3 million originally budgeted for fire station maintenance was suddenly available. The prior council had committed to using most of those funds for long-overdue city yard improvements—not the gun range. Only a small portion was considered a potential down payment.
That agreement was thrown out after the new council took over. Nearly all of that money was then redirected to the gun range. I attended the public meeting where this shift was made and verified these details with two former council members.
What the Mayor fails to even recognize is the White House Administration this year being vastly different than who might have made a promise last year. THIS Administration is cutting and gutting everything they can, with California programs being at the top of their list. It’s incredulous, and woefully naive to spend $1.3 million to apply for a federal grant in this climate.
If the Mayor wants to talk about Public Safety, I’d like to hear what efforts are underway to strengthen the role of our Public Safety Commission. Let’s deal in facts—not spin.
City Revenues should service the entire jurisdiction of the City.
RBUSD Revenues should service students.
It’s time to get the financial house in order.
I believe that all this cross agency subsidization needs to end. RBUSD can pay for crossing guards – or hire their own. RBUSD can pay for its own garbage pickup and the City can delete them from the “free plan” at Athens.
Free of course is not free – the rest of us pay RBUSDs share one way or another – unless you believe Athens takes a profit haircut. And if you believe that, you can pay for my garbage pick-up too.