Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand’s group pauses anti-SB9 initiative push, turns to 2024
by Garth Meyer
A group led by Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand to pass a statewide initiative to rescind Senate Bill 9 failed to gather the one million signatures needed by April 1 to qualify for the November ballot.
SB 9, passed by the California legislature last fall, allows for single-family lots to be divided into as many as four units, with limitations.
“We realized we weren’t going to get the signatures, we didn’t have enough of a machine in place,” Brand said, turning the focus to 2024. “It’s certainly about money and grassroots support. We basically need more time and more money. We’ve got the organization in place.”
The group, known as “Our Neighborhood Voices,” has not hired a paid signature-gathering firm.
Part of the effort for 2024 will be more education, Brand said.
“SB 9 has been mischaracterized as a duplex bill,” Brand said. “But you can split a lot into two and put two units on each. Two plus two equals four. It’s that simple.”
The initiative has the endorsement of the Southern California Association of Governments, made up of 191 cities. The South Bay Council of Governments has also endorsed it along with a list of California mayors and city councilmembers.
Brand notes that the effort has no industry backer.
“We do not have an industry or corporation that has a strong financial interest in this. In fact, industry is against us. This is strictly a grassroots effort by residents, much like Prop 13.”
Brand said the intention is to hire paid signature-gatherers to qualify the measure for the 2024 ballot.
“If you have the money to get the signatures, you’ll get them,” he said.
Proposition 13 was a 1978 landmark initiative that limited property tax increases in the state.
SB 9 took effect Jan. 1. Locally, so far, Redondo Beach Community Development Director Brandy Forbes reports that the city has not received any applications for lot splits, but has received inquiries.
For a lot split to be approved, a homeowner must agree to live on the property for at least three years after the split.
“That is a red herring,” said Brand. “How are they going to enforce that?”
More information on Our Neighborhood Voices may be found at ourneighborhoodvoices.com. ER
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