Sandbox: Redondo Beach city attorney at contention since charter adoption
by Ron Maroko Looking back, it is arguably the best $1,500 Redondo Beach ever spent. Seventy-five years ago, on January 21, 1949, the California legislature approved a new charter for the City of Redondo Beach that changed the landscape at City Hall. Since 1935, Redondo Beach had operated under a charter from the State of California. Prior to that, Redondo was operated as a “general law” city of the sixth class. “A City Charter provides cities maximum local control over matters of local concern,” explained Michael W. Webb, Redondo Beach City Attorney last year. “Charter city laws dealing with purely municipal affairs are valid even if they conflict with general laws of the state.” The 1949 charter differed from the earlier charter in that it created the city manager position. Under the new charter, the city manager would become the administrative head of the city.He would be the person who appoints all department heads and is responsible for their performances. The Council Manager form of government, as it is often called, allows the City Council to focus on policy and the City Manager to focus on the day-to-day operations of the City. “What makes it special, is that it blends…
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