By Garth Meyer
Redondo Beach now has a coyote plan, approved May 21 by the city council, laying out details for how to handle an increasing number of sightings, and take action if needed.
“(Previously), the city could not have acted to protect our residents,” said Redondo Beach Jim Light, referring to a coyote incident last year, soon after he was appointed mayor. “We are in denning season now.”
Jane Chung, assistant city manager, gave further backstory for what led to the Coyote Management and Response Plan (CMRP).
In 2024, Redondo Beach Police received 120 reports of sightings, and the first known den was discovered in the city. In 2025, 35 sightings have been called in.
Coyote attacks are rare, Chung explained, the animals have a natural fear of humans. Fewer than 10 attacks per year are reported in Los Angeles County, none of which have happened in the South Bay.
The only U.S. human fatality by coyote attack was recorded in 1981.
While other area cities such as Manhattan Beach, Torrance and Palos Verdes Estates have created coyote response plans, Redondo Beach only had information on its website for how to report incidents, and how to coexist safely with the animals.
Redondo Beach city staff looked into the issue, creating the CMRP, described as a “structured, proactive approach to coexisting with urban coyotes while prioritizing public safety. It focuses on community education, monitoring coyote activity, reducing attractants, discouraging human-coyote interactions, and minimizing risks to people and pets.”
The plan has four main approaches; to ensure that community spaces are safe; to add to deterrence efforts; increase public education; and actively monitor coyote activity in the city, “guided by principles that prioritize human safety, acknowledge coyotes’ ecological role, and promote preventive practices. The CMRP aims to mitigate conflicts and incidents by addressing both coyote and human behaviors,” Chung wrote in a staff report.
The plan includes a color-coded, tiered framework for city response; green, yellow, orange, and red to represent threat level.
Orange means injury to a pet, which was reported last week for the first time in Redondo Beach, as understood by Police Chief Joe Hoffman.
City Manager Mike Witzansky told the council that the city has never had a need to trap a coyote.
“This (plan) does allow us to take action, if necessary,” said Joy Ford, city attorney.
Environmental consulting firm Michael Baker International contributed to the Redondo project.
When trapping a coyote is needed, the CMRP directs that Redondo Beach Animal Services consult with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which would lead any investigation. The city may also hire a certified trapper.
Estimated cost to trap a coyote is $1,500.
“Great plan, very thorough,” said City Councilman Brad Waller, citing the education component as the most important. “When you see a coyote the first thing you do is not go to NextDoor.”
Potential contributing factors for the increase in coyotes in Redondo Beach were stated by staff as less habitat because of urban development, larger coyote populations, and/or territorial expansion.
Drought conditions are thought to be another factor for coyotes encroaching into neighborhoods, seeking food and water.
Areas of the city noted as inviting corridors for coyotes are, from the Edison right-of-way to Wilderness Park, plant nurseries and freeway embankments.
The CMRP is intended to be a standardized and repeatable strategy for coexistence. ER
$1500? Those must be really nice traps. People need to quit leaving coyote chow out at night and the problem is more likely to go away.