by Garth Meyer
A standing closing argument from Zein Obagi, Jr., a second to his motion from new city councilman Chadwick Castle, an invitation for a counter motion declined by Scott Behrendt, and a substitute motion from Brad Waller led to fingers on the chin for Paige Kaluderovic and a decision to spend $40,000 for a city survey of whether to open retail cannabis stores in Redondo Beach.
The 4-1 vote late Tuesday night, July 1, Obagi against, came after two hours of public input, much of it opposed to retail stores here, and 55 online comments tilted heavily against.
It was the latest vote in a now, eight-year process to answer the question, will Redondo Beach permit storefront retail cannabis?
The previous city council passed an ordinance in February to set the final parameters for how and where the stores may operate. Voters approved a tax rate two years ago.
At the start of this week’s meeting, City Manager Mike Witzansky prefaced the matter.
He and city staff, he said, recommended that the council begin to take applications for permits, referring to the amount of staff time invested. He noted that Culver City is reporting annual tax revenue of $600,000 from its one store.
“We are at that point now; it’s up to this body to decide whether we are going to seek permits in this city,” he said.
“So you are recommending?” said Mayor Jim Light.
“From a staff perspective, it would be a shame not to see it through,” Witzansky said.
Discussion began.
Councilman Behrendt, who had come out against retail cannabis in Redondo Beach – but previously voted to compromise in order to keep stores off of a stretch of Artesia Boulevard – asked if this was the right time to issue an RFA (commercial cannabis permit application process).
“We have a lot of other stuff jam-packed on the strategic plan…” he said. “I’m not hearing our residents clamoring to get this done now. That’s important, because there are items they are asking us to do. This is not one of them.”
He added that it has not been a waste of time, because the ordinance is good to have in place.
Councilman Brad Waller paid respect to the time put in by staff to bring the issue to this point, then said that comments he has heard and seen are “4-1, 6-1 against.”
He allowed that, in reality, it might be 60-40 against, and it could just be the most vocal residents speaking up.
Then he called for a “professional survey, to find out from residents (what they would like to do) under the conditions we have set.”
Councilmember Kaluderovic spoke next. She had supported completion of the ordinance while seeking public input and specifically inviting people to come speak at the July 1 meeting.
“I do feel strongly about the time that has been spent. The ordinance provides the protections I’d be looking for as a parent,” she said.
“I am concerned about state (pesticides) testing. I’m confident in the ordinance we put together. We’ll have that should we decide this is not the time. I want to hear from residents.”
Councilman Castle relayed what he has heard in district two.
“It hasn’t come up very frequently,” he said, adding that he had a number of concerns which have been addressed by the ordinance.
Public feedback began, with familiar faces on the issue and some new.
“It normalizes cannabis use for kids,” came the first comments. “Put it on the ballot. Survey residents…”
Nikki Vasquez, a representative of the Redondo Beach Council of PTAs, said the organization “opposes any storefront retail cannabis in Redondo Beach, until such time that the community has been sufficiently educated on the dangerous impacts upon youth, and has the opportunity to provide input.”
Kerianne Lawson of Beach Cities Health District, a member of the city’s cannabis task force in 2017, said, “The health district is opposed to retail cannabis. That shouldn’t be a surprise… we are signaling to our youth that it is acceptable (by making it) accessible…”
David Rosenfeld, a partner in a proposed applicant’s business, noted a Change.org petition with 193 signatures in favor of opening stores in Redondo Beach.
“It’s been a long process. We’ve been waiting patiently,” he said. “…(Retail) cannabis would not even be as noticeable as a liquor store.”
“I’m just super-confident we can do this safely and prudently, and show that we’re a progressive community, that understands the true nature of this substance.”
Another PTA member, a mother of three, cited “youth exposure and normalization” and asked, “Please don’t implement a bad idea because people have invested time in it. Frankly, that is irrelevant.”
A man identified as “Ivan” from district one approached the podium. In a red “R” hat and a T-shirt that read, “Corporate Magazines Still Suck” (a la Kurt Cobain on a 1992 cover of “Rolling Stone”), he spoke, as a neighbor and a father of two.
“Redondo Beach is a coastal treasure. Dispensaries are going to tarnish that shine,” he said.
He made a point that residents had never directly voted on whether it wanted the stores.
“You’re acting like we’re subjects, not citizens… follow Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach; put dispensaries to a public vote.”
Jonatan Cvetko, another original member of the Redondo Beach cannabis task force, said, “how unstable the foundation is we’re attempting to build on,” and called for a pause, citing state testing, pesticides, and he questioned the Culver City tax proceeds numbers.
“This is a fantasy, not a plan,” he said.
Daniella Wodnicki, a member of the Redondo Beach public safety commission, spoke as a resident, saying “we have 25 smoke shops. If you can’t regulate tobacco, how are you going to regulate cannabis?”
Another retail operator gave his support to open stores.
“We view this process as reducing the illicit market. (It’s) for qualified, safe customers. This is a meaningful economic opportunity for the city.”
Resident Robin Eisenberg said that “50 percent of restaurants don’t work. Are we going to stop them?”
“I still trust you,” she said to the council. “I haven’t smoked cannabis in 30 years, but after this meeting I think I’m going to go get a joint.”
Longtime local retail cannabis advocate Joan Irvine spoke.
“I’ve been here for eight years (speaking)” she said. “The kids – they already know about it, this is not normalizing.”
A man from district three said that the “gateway drug to addiction is not marijuana, but alcohol.”
Another district three man spoke, Robert Moore: “You said you wanted to hear from people. If I was voting I’d vote no. And I’d like to get smoke shops (under control). Retail cannabis, the city of Redondo Beach; I just don’t think it’s the right place.”
“Put this (ordinance) on the shelf if you ever need it.”
Georgette Gantner mentioned that if the city is seeking an ancillary Olympics project and “trying to change our image on Artesia (Boulevard), why would we do this?”
A retired law enforcement officer said, “If you can’t drive 20 minutes (to get it) or five minutes, maybe you shouldn’t be getting high.”
Austin Carmichael, public safety commission chair said, “I suggest it’s a nice topic to send over to the public safety commission.”
Then came the telephone comments.
A parent said that 60 cities in Los Angeles County have not allowed it; another pointed out that of the 55 online comments about the Redondo matter that night, five were in favor.
She said to address Artesia Boulevard first, and as for city staff’s work on retail cannabis, “Respectfully, that’s their job, and they were compensated for their work.”
Another caller spoke of strong support for medical marijuana but opposed retail stores.
Then, a man called in citing the Centers for Disease Control, that youth marijuana use was at a 30-year low.
“Smoke shops exist because of a lack of legal access to these products,” he said. “Regulated markets actually protect our children better.”
“The only voices in favor are those with a vested economic interest,” said a woman from district two.
Public input concluded and Mayor Light said he was “torn,” citing his time as an Air Force officer with a clearance, but that the people of California “did vote” and the city prefaced Measure E (2022), that the ballot initiative came from one distributor (Elliot Lewis and Catalyst Cannabis Co.) which sought to shape city rules the way it preferred.
“I do think there is a stigma for people to come down and speak in favor of this,” Light said. “(And) I think people would go after them after this meeting.”
He added that, if the council “really wants to act based on the people, a survey or an election is the only way you’re going to get a scientific measure. But I question the cost and the timing of that.”
He asked City Manager Witzansky what the price may be.
$20,000-$30,000 came the answer. To add it to an existing election would be a similar number.
“The incremental cost isn’t that much. That’s a two-year delay,” Witzansky said.
Councilman Obagi, Jr. asked the city manager if staff could handle adding the cannabis RFA to other large projects such as the coming new police station and two new fire stations.
Witzansky said yes, and “I don’t know if we’ll have the volume of applicants as we thought two, three years ago,” referring to the “prescriptive” ordinance.
Obagi said he agreed with everything the mayor said, telling of how he was on the council during Measure E and that all five councilmembers publicly campaigned to tell residents to vote against it, while the city was working on its own ordinance to control the matter itself.
“What if we don’t move forward?” Obagi pointed out. “(Another Measure E could arrive) and (voters) pass a law to throw out all of the work we did.”
He talked about policing, on his feet for a closing argument. (He often stands at different times at council meetings).
“How much money do we have for policing? We need to raise revenue, we need to figure out better ways to fund public safety.”
“I do think we’ll only get one shop,” he said, citing limitations placed in the ordinance.
He noted that the measure to set the city’s proposed retail cannabis tax passed with 76% support.
“I don’t think there’s a majority of people in support of retail cannabis or a majority against. The vast majority expect us to do what’s right for the city’s financial future,” Obagi said.
“With that, I will make a motion to approve…”
Initially, no second arrived. Then Councilman Castle said he thought the ordinance was well-framed, in its distance-requirement from schools, etc., “We have a workable ordinance. The permit process is temporary, it comes up for renewal.”
He surmised that if any problems arose, the city could just not renew it “and we’re out of the cannabis business.”
Castle seconded Obagi’s motion.
Mayor Light asked if Councilman Behrendt had an alternate motion.
He said no, but “for me personally, I don’t see this as the time for an RFA, I don’t see residents clamoring for it.”
Obagi then relayed what he heard from a councilman in the city of Hawthorne, and the proceeds from its three stores.
“I’m gonna call for the vote,” the mayor said.
But then, a slight clamoring. Waller asked if he could make an alternate motion.
He asked about commissioning a survey before the council takes any further action.
A short discussion followed, with an update on the cost from Witzansky, byway of Luke Smude, assistant to the city manager – $30,000-$40,000.
Behrendt seconded Waller’s motion.
“Why not an advisory ballot measure?” Obagi said, pointing out that the cost is comparable and a special election is coming up.
Waller liked the idea but “that gets the money involved of the vendors,” he said.
Mayor Light called the vote.
Waller; yes; Castle, yes; Kaluderovic, yes; Obagi, no; and Behrendt yes.
A survey would be expected to bring results by next February, first requiring a four-fifths vote to approve the expenditure. ER
