Good old school days
Dear ER:
I grew up in Manhattan Beach when there was still the South Bay Unified School District. (“Manhattan Beach Unified School District adopts budget, cuts 31 employee positions,” ER July 17, 2025). It was the administrative body for Redondo High, Mira Costa High and Aviation High (Class of ‘68). I recall the district operated successfully and I do not recall my parents being hit with bond issues, parcel taxes, etc. Maybe we should look into how that model was successful, remained solvent without having Education Foundations asking residents for donations?
Louie Pastor
Manhattan Beach
Aviation High, Class of 1968
Stop the scofflaws
Dear ER:
The Manhattan Beach law banning leaf blowers has been scoffed-at since it was placed on the books in the mid 1990s (“Blowing in the wind: Leaf blowers fan conflicts between neighbors,” ER July 3, 2025). The damage all leaf blowers inflict is well established; be it noise, disruption, or the myriad harm it does to the planet and to the human body. Despite this, Manhattan Beach and, unfortunately, its self-described “green” school district, do not take this seriously.
I run for exercise — well, I jog, or, perhaps plod is a more accurate description. Anyway, for the entirety of my 32 years as an Manhattan Beach homeowner, my runs through our beautiful neighborhoods include the task of holding my breath while landscaping crews pollute the area using leaf blowers. For decades — literally decades — on each of my runs I stop, and as gently and respectfully as possible, ask the landscaper to cease using their leaf blower. I explain that they are illegal and why. Cognizant that most of these workers are simply following the directions of their supervisors, I center my communication on kindness, education, and neighborliness. When possible I endeavor to speak to supervisors and property owners and then continue on my run.
Unfortunately, this strategy of direct education has been a failure. Thus, over the last couple of years, I added the components of documentation and escalation. After speaking to the landscaper, I document what I observe via photo or video. If this occurs during business/school hours, I then make a call to the City’s Code Enforcement staff where I have a friendly conversation with the staffer, provide the address of the location of the leaf blower and request a follow up call from City staff. Each time I provide my name, address and phone number versus filing an anonymous report.
Not once have I received a follow up call from City staff regarding info on the outcome of their response — or if they responded at all.
On July 2, I was on a run near Mira Costa when I observed a worker using a gas leaf blower on a school property. Per usual, I stopped and politely asked them about their knowledge of the law. I asked them to cease using a gas leaf blower. I asked for their name, which they declined to provide, but I appreciated that they phoned their supervisors, who quickly arrived to discuss the situation. The supervisor informed me that “I could call the district office” to complain, but their understanding was that the District is exempt from complying with Manhattan’s law. It was clear that they had no plans to cease using leaf blowers of any sort — even as our student athletes are training in close proximity to them.
Given MBUSD’s claim of being a “Green District”, this particular response was disappointing.
Suggestions:
- Communication to property owners that all leaf blowers are illegal.
- Respond to reports from community members when violations occur.
- Hold property owners responsible. Cite them.
- Hold landscapers responsible. Cite them.
- As for MBUSD, be the “Green District” you claim to be.
Elise Johnson
Manhattan Beach
Give it a rest
Dear ER:
Easy Reader should get over the incessant, petulant anti Trump cartoon bias that renders your paper and other content unserious.
William Gibbs
ER News comment
Transparency exposed
Dear ER:
If good governance depends on checks and balances, what does it say about Redondo Beach when an entire commission is dismantled—not for failing to act, but for daring to? This isn’t reform—it’s erasure “City of Redondo Beach Shutters public Safety commission; cites new era,” ER July 17, 2025
The Public Safety Commission wasn’t paralyzed; it was obstructed. And now it’s been executed. Let’s be honest: even former Redondo Mayor Bill Brand, for all his political maneuvering, never nuked an entire commission just for doing its job. This move reeks of retaliation. A few dedicated residents started asking the right questions—and suddenly we’re told public participation is “outdated,” oversight is “too expensive,” and the digital suggestion box is all we deserve.
If Redondo city leaders are truly “committed to transparency, accountability, and community trust,” then why did they choose to abolish a public forum rather than improve it?
Let’s be clear—this wasn’t a cleanup. This was a cover-up, neatly wrapped in bureaucratic language. The ordinance claims the Public Safety Commission overlapped with other bodies and posed “legal risks” by discussing sensitive topics in public. But isn’t that the entire point of public oversight—to ask hard questions in the daylight? Instead of refining its scope, the City torched the Commission, citing vague “engagement tools” and top-down communications programs that no resident voted for.
The real message? Your presence is no longer required. This wasn’t governance. It was governance by the few, for the few.
And when residents do exactly what the City says—“email your concerns”—those emails are routinely ignored, dismissed, or deflected, even when they raise serious public health, safety, fiscal, and environmental risks. That’s not civic engagement—it’s stonewalling.
If City leaders ignore warnings, eliminate oversight, and sideline public voices, how can they claim any commitment to transparency? A lot of us have questions about this decision—and the longer leadership refuses to answer them, the clearer the pattern becomes.
Pat Healy
Redondo Beach
Waterfront lifeline
Dear ER:
Where is RescueOurWaterfront org when the Redondo Beach waterfront really needs rescuing? How shameful the years of deception and local lies for political gain. Congrats Mayor Jim Light. Thanks to your polarizing efforts, we have a $3.5 million deficit with no lifeline in sight.
Lisa Rodriguez
Redondo Beach
Waterfront rescue
Dear ER:
Redondo Beach is on a great trajectory right now.
The deficit this year was largely driven by the need to invest in city infrastructure that was neglected and in which maintenance was deferred by previous councils. But we are looking good for the future.
Riviera Village is booming – we are looking forward to the grand opening of Montauk. We are executing the Amenities Plan for the harbor – the highest revenue generator in the City. And we will soon be voting on General Plan changes designed to encourage investment along Artesia and Aviation. The City is generating lots of interest from developers in the harbor. The Seaside Lagoon redesign is approved at 30% and we are working toward entitlements to start the project. Harbor Commission will soon be reviewing three alternatives for the state mandated boat ramp. California Surf Club and Riviera Mexican Cantina both opened – have you seen the parking lot lately? We are in negotiations with Marine Mammal Care Center for the Joe’s Crabshack site. New leases for existing and new tenants at the pier and International Boardwalk have been approved. We are marketing the former Fun Factory site. We are doing repairs and renovations to the historic library in Veteran’s Park and are in final negotiations with Made by Meg to move in. Staff is busier than they’ve ever been. So, yes, lots of promising revenue generating new business and attractions in the upcoming years.
The biggest long term threat to our budget is the state housing mandates that are forcing us to replace business properties with housing. On average, commercial businesses bring in $7.60 per square foot more than high density housing… and that does not take into account the cost of services for those new residents.
As to “polarizing” effects, the evidence is not there. During the recent election I won in every District except District 1. I was endorsed by three North Redondo councilmembers. The current Council is not locked in gridlock the way it was a few years ago, so we are making lots of progress across the whole city.
Additional impacts to this year’s budget include the negative impacts on tourism and visitors due to the tariffs and ICE raids. Tourism alone is projected to be down 18% with travel from Asian countries impacted even more. Tariffs also are projected to reduce sales tax revenues for the city as consumer prices rise and supply chains are impacted.
Jim Light
Mayor
City of Redondo Beach
This week’s Politico cartoon of Planet Obamus was fantastic! I wish they would do a whole collector’s series of Planets of the Presidents.
Cartoonist Matt Wuerker holds up a mirror to what he sees as reality.
Perfectly fair.
I would expect that any living former president would call an emergency meeting of all former presidents to address the greatest danger our democracy has faced since the Civil War, and take action.
Subject: Mayor Light Ignoring District 1’s Pleas on Illegal Truck Traffic
Mayor Jim Light boasts about winning every district except District 1. But there’s a clear reason he didn’t win here: he has done nothing to address the illegal truck traffic that disrupts our lives daily on Palos Verdes Blvd and Prospect Avenue.
Since the public meeting held on March 25, 2024 — we, the residents of this corridor, have waited for action. We’re told again and again that Torrance won’t cooperate with signage. But to us, that’s just an excuse. We say, to hell with Torrance! We live in Redondo Beach, not Torrance. Why should the willful inaction of another city stop our own leaders from protecting our health, safety, and Quality of Life?
More than 100 trucks a day use our neighborhood streets illegally, polluting our air, shaking our homes, and creating unsafe conditions for pedestrians and drivers alike. Many of these trucks enter Palos Verdes Blvd and Prospect from Pacific Coast Highway, which has nothing to do with Torrance. If enforcement focused on those two access points, it would immediately curb over half the illegal traffic.
During his campaign, Mayor Light promised to “Champion our Quality of Life” and to “protect and improve the lives of residents in ALL districts — North and South.” But now it seems because District 1 didn’t vote for him, we are being punished — forced to breathe diesel fumes, endure 90+ decibel truck noise and watch our infrastructure and safety erode day after day.
The Mayor also promised to “Expand community policing programs”. Yet when it came time to approve funding for RBPD enforcement to stop illegal truck traffic, those funds were denied.
Mayor Light, Our nerves are shot! You promised leadership. Now it’s time to deliver.
John,
The City has responded to your complaints about truck traffic. The City worked with the County Sheriff’s Department to conduct enforcement on several occasions. And during those operations speeders were also pulled over and ticketed. The City has tried multilevel solutions with the City of Torrance. It is Torrance’s truck routes that dead end on our no truck traffic streets that cause the bulk of the problem, but we cannot force a solution on Torrance. The City Manager has discussed a new alternative that seems so far to be more palatable to Torrance’s city staff.
It is interesting you target me. I have only been in office a year and a half. And the Mayor does not even get a vote on the Council in Redondo. What was accomplished by the previous administration, including your former Councilmember? They had much longer to deal with the issue.
We continue to work the issue. But dealing with another city complicates any solution. We cannot do it on our own.
Pat,
It seems you fall into the same trap others have. None of Redondo’s commissions are “oversight” commissions. They do not exist to judge, critique, or watchdog the performance of City staff and City departments. (The Budget and Finance Commission comes closest to an oversight role, but it is not an oversight commission either.) Per our Charter, none of the Commissions nor the City County Council have the power or authority to task City staff. All our commissions have always been set up to provide advice to the City Council on issues within their purviews, which are defined in our City ordinances. The Public Safety Commission failed to provide any meaningful advice to the Council for years and has strayed well beyond their defined purview. They were digging into issues that fell clearly under the Public Works and Sustainability Commission – such as traffic fixes and manhole covers. They discussed mandating microchipping of pet cats. They tried to start their own volunteer awards program, which is about as far afield from their stated purview as you can get. The Commission demanded the attendance of the City Attorney, which not even the Council has the authority to direct another elected official.
There are two asks of every Commission each year – Commission inputs to the strategic plan and to the budget. Public Safety Commission failed to provide recommendations to either related to Public Safety. We got more recommendations from the Youth Commission that just restarted after it was disbanded during Covid.
The Council charged me with a total revamp of our code of conduct – including parliamentary procedure, rules of decorum, and cleaning up the ordinances related to Commissions. The majority of these will be introduced in August. But because we must start the Commissioner appointment process now, we had to accelerate two recommendations that impact those appointments – constructive changes to the Youth Commission to improve it, and disbanding of the Pubic Safety Commission.
During my research and deliberations on the Commission-related ordinances, I discovered that the Public Safety Commission was far afield from their charter. Part of my process on making changes was to request inputs from the departments that each Commission covers. The recommendations from the Police Chief, the Fire Chief, and the City Manager was to disband the Commission rather than tighten up the ordinance describing their purview. As I researched their rationale, I found what they stated was true. Traffic, speeding, and most safety infrastructure fall under the purview of the Public Works and Sustainability Commission. Both departments have multiple ways of receiving public feedback directly. Volunteers in Policing, Neighborhood Watch, Coffee with a Cop, Councilmember District meetings, Comcate, and Community Emergency Response Team are examples of avenues for resident communication with the police and fire departments, I also found that historically, the Public Safety Commission has not produced meaningful recommendations and advice to the Council. Since I’ve been onboard, all the other Commissions have produced meaningful advice to the Council. Planning Commission, Harbor Commission, the Cultural Arts Commission, the Public Works and Safety Commission, and the Public Amenities Commission all have purviews that include decision-making that takes work off the City Council agenda and pre-defines much of the Commission’s agenda each meeting. Historically (at least back to the mid-nineties) and more recently, this has not been true of the Public Safety Commission. Given all this background, I felt the prudent path was to disband it. And the City Council agreed.
Right now there are two paths the Council will be deliberating related to the disbanded Commission. One is slightly expanding the purview of the Public Works and Sustainability Commission which already covers Public Safety related infrastructure, speeding, and traffic issues and projects. The second is to establish an ad hoc Public Safety Commission which would only meet when the Council assigns it a specific issue..
So no, Pat. The Commission was not “nuked” for doing its job. It was disbanded because it was largely redundant and it has not historically done its job of advising the City Council.