Redondo Beach 2019 year in review

Sunday, Oct. 13 marked the final spins of the Redondo Fun Factory Tilt-A-Whirl. “It’s been fun,” said Fun Factory owner Steve Shoemaker. Photo by Casey Chang (Instagram:@my_opp)

Labor pains and waterfront changes mark Redondo’s 2019 

Labor pains

A 16 month stalemate between the City of Redondo Beach and its police officers ended in October, when the City Council approved a 2 percent base pay raise and a one-time bonus for each member of the Redondo Beach Police Officers Association.

“There was a lot of pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth, but we got it done,” said RBPOA President Robert Carlborg.

To get there, the City had to transfer nearly $120,000 from its pension reserve fund. But both sides will jump right back in it shortly — the agreement expires on Dec. 31.

However, their colleagues at the Redondo Beach Firefighters Association are still working without a contract. RBFA’s schism with the City very nearly led to contract imposition in October. Firefighters sought a 2 percent base pay increase, retroactive to July 2018; the City offered a 2 percent raise without retroactivity, while restructuring holiday and overtime pay in a manner that would take pressure off of the city’s stressed budget.

The Redondo Beach Fire Department frequently has open firefighter positions, often about seven out of 62 budgeted positions. RBFD’s policy of “constant manning” mandates that every position is filled for every shift, leading to constant overtime. Attempts to change policy, including “browning out” equipment and restructuring overtime policies, have repeatedly died at the dais or in negotiations.

RBFA recently changed leadership, electing a new president — however, it’s unlikely attitudes will change now that chairs at the table have been shuffled. New President Kenny Campos has held leadership positions within RBFA for at least three years.

County Fire study fizzles,

Gran faces recall

As part of a potential solution to the City of Redondo Beach’s ongoing budget woes — the City faces a structural budget deficit owing in part to ballooning pension liabilities — the City Council explored the possibility of contracting its fire services to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which would force the closure of the city’s fire department.

An initial study from LACoFD indicated that the City could save between $4 million and $7 million, based on previous budget figures, at the cost of having fewer firefighters stationed within the City. The Redondo Beach Firefighters Association argued that residents would be better served by the County’s collective service model, which would bring firefighters from around the County’s many fire stations.

But City staff pushed back on those savings numbers, arguing that legacy costs that currently fall under RBFD’s budget, and would remain with the City after a County takeover, may make the deal cost neutral — or even cost Redondo money within both the short-term and long-term future.

Initially, Councilman John Gran stood with his colleagues Todd Loewenstein and Nils Nehrenheim, urging the City to press on toward a “phase two” that would study the costs — and potential one-time savings — to convert City fire services to the County. (A “phase two” study would not change potential ongoing costs as identified in previous cost estimates.)

But further investigation into the supposed savings convinced Gran that the deal would be less than beneficial for the City and its residents.

When the time came for the City Council to vote whether Redondo should pay toward “phase two,” Gran’s vote swung the other way, stopping the plan in its tracks. Gran also voted against a proposal by RBFA to cover the $24,000 cost.

Soon after, Redondo Beach resident Zein Obagi filed paperwork to recall Gran. Obagi, a former Congressional candidate, has the backing of RBFA — its membership has hit the streets, knocking on doors and urging residents in Gran’s district to support the recall.

Signatures are due in early January; should enough residents sign the petition to recall Gran, a special election will be scheduled.

Sunday, Oct. 13 marked the final spins of the Redondo Fun Factory Tilt-A-Whirl. “It’s been fun,” said Fun Factory owner Steve Shoemaker. Photo by Casey Chang (Instagram:@my_opp)

Fun Factory farewell

The Redondo Fun Factory, Redondo Beach’s longtime waterfront arcade and game palace, closed its doors after 45 years in October, giving hundreds of people from across the region one last weekend of fun on the pier following a sudden announcement just days before.

Owner Steve Shoemaker purchased the master lease to the space in 1972, starting with a bar before pivoting pivoted to an arcade in 1974 — and then warred with the City for most of the following five decades. The Redondo Beach City Council purchased his lease in 2017, with then-Mayor Steve Aspel calling it the “final piece in the puzzle” toward finalizing a sweeping redevelopment of the harbor by CenterCal Properties. When that went sideways, Shoemaker still had his $9 million buyout agreement to fall back on.

Shoemaker urged the City to give him a month-to-month lease to keep the Fun Factory open beyond his December 2019 move-out date. When the City refused the offer, Shoemaker called it quits.

“They wanted an attraction, which I gave them. And the City’s been wonderful to me — I had my ups and downs…but I don’t hold anybody responsible for that. It’s just part of life,” Shoemaker said.

The power transmission lines running along 190th Street are likely to disappear once the AES Redondo power plant shuts down — but that day may be pushed back by as many as two years, to 2022. Photo

Power struggles

The City of Redondo Beach, led by Mayor Bill Brand, continued on its path toward developing a large regional park at the AES Redondo power plant site in 2019. Redondo won more than $5 million in grant funds with the assistance of state and county agencies to go along with a pledge by Los Angeles-based developer Leo Pustilnikov to sell at least half of the roughly 50-acre site to the City at a sweetheart price. Redondo also won the support of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for an overlay tax district, which would finance improvements, including planned restoration of wetlands at the site.

“This power plant is an eyesore and we have an opportunity now to transform this site into a massive regional park and restore some of the wetlands that this power plant destroyed,” said County Supervisor Janice Hahn. “There is plenty of work ahead of us, but this is a major step in returning this prime piece of waterfront real estate to the people.”

But worries over energy shortages have tempered hopes for a speedy public-private partnership takeover of the land. In November, the California Public Utilities Commission recommended pushing back the plant’s Dec. 31, 2020 closure date by two years, leaving the final decision in the hands of the State Water Resources Control Board, which is due to hold its vote in 2020.

Waterfront Developments

Speaking of Pustilnikov, the developer has not yet closed on the AES property. But he’s continuing to stoke dreams of a greater, comprehensive waterfront redevelopment, starting with the purchase of Redondo’s Monstad Pier and the leases to its buildings, including the former Maison Riz restaurant. The pier properties are across Harbor Drive from AES.

In April, the City of Redondo Beach approved the transaction between the Trutanich family’s Redondo Fisherman’s Wharf Company and Pustilnikov’s Next Century Power. The master lease, which expires in 2034, was on the market for more than a year before its sale.

Pustilnikov and his company have also been named in City Council agendas as negotiating for other waterfront parcels, including much of the same land CenterCal was interested in acquiring for its own Waterfront redevelopment project — parcels that are currently tied up in litigation between CenterCal and the City.

 

A dark day in North Redondo

Gates Avenue was rocked in September when a cadre of police and firefighters descended on the apartment home of Cheryl Soto and her 10-year-old son, Carter Perez. The pair were found dead on Sept. 25. Authorities believe Soto killed her son before killing herself.

According to a family member, Soto moved the two from San Diego to Redondo Beach in 2018.

Redondo Beach police were called to the home on the 2100 block of Gates Avenue for a welfare check after receiving a call from a neighbor.

Residents were surprised to hear much of anything going on along their quiet street. The apartment complex where the two lived was considered “its own little world” along Gates.

But word of the deaths spread quickly among the neighbors and the Lincoln Elementary School community, which Carter attended.

“Although Carter joined the RBUSD and Lincoln Lion Elementary School community only one year ago, he was known for his sense of humor and had developed many new friendships during his time here with us,” RBUSD superintendent Steven Keller said.

Living the Life

The BeachLife Festival offered a vision of a revitalized Redondo Beach waterfront in May, when promoter Allen Sanford’s three-day music, art and food festival took over Seaside Lagoon. More than 24,000 people attended the festival, which headlined music legends Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson and Bob Weir.

BeachLife was, by many measures, a tremendous success, even staying up past its curfew, with the oaky of Mayor Bill Brand. Brand came to the show with a ticket in his pocket from a 1978 Bob Weir concert, so it’s no surprise that when Weir asked for more time, the Mayor nodded. For him, the festival was proof that Redondo Beach didn’t need a major development to bring life to King Harbor.

“I’ll tell you, it’s a lot more fun than 3,000 condos and a 525,000 square-foot mall,” Brand said. “This is more what Redondo is about than anything I’ve seen in the city since I’ve been paying attention…This is about the community. We left a left a lot of money on the table as a city, but it’s [CenterCal] not what the community really wanted. The residents left a lot of money on the table — in their interest of their own quality of life.” Smaller local bands (including local Battle of the Bands winner Alinea) shared stages with major acts: As the Crow Flies, Slightly Stoopid and Jason Mraz made special swings to Redondo Beach’s King Harbor; residents made the trip down the Strand — many by bike and by foot — but the festival was a tremendous win for Sanford and the city. An economic impact report found that, over the three days of the festival, BeachLife generated approximately $86,000 in tax revenue throughout Redondo Beach.

After the report came out, Sanford announced that BeachLife would roll into King Harbor twice in 2020: first in May, then and in October, in keeping with the contractual framework he drew up with City Hall nearly two years ago. ER

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