On Local Government: The “Save Their Butt” tax
by Bob Pinzler If all goes according to plan, on the November 2024 ballot property owners in our three beach cities will be asked to approve a 30-million-dollar tax measure which the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is calling a “Health and Wellness Bond.” It should be called the 30-million-dollar fix for their screw-ups. Let’s […]
On Local Government: Waterfront issues the same worldwide
by Bob Pinzler I often have told new Redondo Beach Councilmembers that for most every issue they will face, somebody, somewhere has already dealt with it and is willing to share the experience. This thought came back to me as I read a display while standing at the waterfront in Wellington, New Zealand. Aside from […]
Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand leaves big shoes to fill. And we must.
by Bob Pinzler It is ironic that Bill Brand, the Mayor of Redondo Beach who died over this last weekend, got his start fighting a project called “Heart of the City.” To many, he was exactly that heart, giving years of his life, including those when valiantly fighting the cancer that ultimately killed him, to […]
On Local: Government Ode to a gadfly: Tom O’Leary began once quixotic campaign to close the AES power plant
by Bob Pinzler On the Carnelian Street side of the Redondo Beach City Hall campus, a tree is dedicated to Tom O’Leary. The site was chosen because it faced the, then, Southern California Edison power plant that he had spent much of his life working to close down. At the dedication, we had the hope […]
On Local Government: Can cameras slow traffic?
by Bob Pinzler California Assemblywoman Laura Friedman of Burbank has received initial committee approval of a pilot program to introduce the use of cameras to enforce speed laws. The program would be operated in Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Long Beach and Glendale. The cameras would be set up in school zones, places […]
On Local Government: Proposed bike path missed the cut off
by Bob Pinzler Flagler Alley in Redondo Beach and Torrance has long been a source of controversy. It connects Diamond Street in Redondo to Towers Avenue in Torrance. During the 1980s, consideration was given to connecting Diamond to Flagler Lane in Redondo to alleviate vehicle traffic clogging Aviation Boulevard leading to what was then TRW. […]
On Local Government – Housing a right, or responsibility
by Bob Pinzler Last week, I played golf in Palm Springs on the city’s municipal court. One fairway is bounded by a flood control wash, which had just a trickle of snow melt running through it. My first indication that the wash is populated by homeless was a foul smell. Then I saw tents. From […]
Sand Box: Beach Cities Health District’s ‘Wealthy’ Living Campus on shaky foundation
by Bob Pinzler When you purchase a home, one of the first things you should ask is if you can see the deed to prove that the seller actually owns it. I asked the same question of the Beach Cities Health District, to determine if they have the legal right to build something other than […]