By 
Edited by Garth Meyer
The District One city council race is between Rolf Strutzenberg, a current school board member/city committee member; Brad Waller, a city committee member/former eight-year school board member; and Darrin King, an attorney mounting his first campaign for city office.
Strutzenberg, who is finishing his first term on the Redondo Unified school board, ran for District One city council in 2017 and lost to Nils Nehrenheim. Waller ran in 2021 and lost, also to Nehenheim.
Below are answers to an Easy Reader questionnaire sent to each candidate.
BRAD WALLER:
How long have you lived in Redondo Beach? What brought you to the city?
I have lived in Redondo Beach for 38 years and have been a homeowner for 36 years. The community’s vibrant culture, welcoming environment, and beautiful coastal setting initially drew me here. Over time, it became home—a place where I’ve raised my family, built a business, and formed lifelong friendships.
I love that Redondo Beach is a city where neighbors know each other, children have access to excellent schools and parks, and there is great pride in local businesses and civic life. Residents actively contribute to the community by organizing events, supporting green initiatives, and helping one another.
Living here has inspired me to give back through service to schools, city committees, and civic organizations. I am committed to preserving what makes Redondo Beach special while working toward a sustainable future.
What is your background?
Education? Work? Previous offices held or service on
commissions, etc.?
Education: Bachelor of Science in Physics from MIT.
Work: I began my career as an Infrared System Engineer in aerospace before becoming a business owner in Riviera Village in 1999. My company, EPage, has been at the forefront of innovation since 1994, launching one of the earliest “dot com” websites. We help clients leverage AI, VR, mobile apps, and databases to enhance service and revenue.
Service: I have served on the Redondo Beach General Plan Advisory Committee, Green Task Force, and Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District. I was an RBUSD Board of Education trustee for eight years (twice president) and a SoCal ROC Board trustee for four years (clerk and president). I have held numerous PTA leadership roles local, district, and national. Additionally, I’ve served on business and civic groups, including the Riviera Village Business Improvement District and South Bay Workforce Investment Board.
Would you vote to bring cannabis retail stores to the city?
Through my conversations with residents while knocking on doors, I’ve found that many believe the “No” vote on Measure E blocked all retail cannabis in Redondo Beach. This misunderstanding highlights the need for greater clarity and community engagement on this issue. My personal view is less important than ensuring the residents of Redondo Beach have a direct say.
I believe in democracy and the importance of community input on major policy decisions. If elected, I would support putting the question of retail cannabis to a vote of the people, so our community can determine what is best for itself.
Who are your campaign contributors?
My donations primarily come from individuals, with most contributions from Redondo Beach residents. I also receive support from family and longtime friends who share my vision for the city. Additionally, I have received contributions from BizFed PAC and the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters. I am proud to run a campaign grounded in local support and focused on the best interests of our community.
What would you like to do/focus on if you are elected?
Redondo Beach is facing challenges because revenue hasn’t kept pace with inflation. I will work to make the city not just business-friendly but an attractive destination for new businesses, boosting sales and occupancy tax revenues. This will allow us to fund necessary improvements without relying solely on bonds or increasing financial burdens on residents.
As a 100-year-old city, long-term infrastructure planning is essential. I will advocate for better transportation and traffic solutions, working with Torrance to address dead-end truck routes that push 18-wheelers into residential streets. I want to create walkable neighborhoods where residents can live, shop, and dine locally while improving traffic flow and making streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Sustainability will be a priority. I will expand green spaces, enhance the tree canopy, and promote climate resilience by greening the city to mitigate heat islands. I will work to replace missing parkway trees and improve accessibility to open spaces. Based on my experience leading the RBUSD solar project—saving $500,000 annually and generating 60-70% of the district’s electricity—I believe the city can achieve similar environmental and financial benefits.
Finally, I will promote transparency and community engagement, ensuring open communication between city leadership and residents. I will combat negativity and social media attacks that divide our community. My leadership will be rooted in respect, civility, and collaboration to move Redondo Beach forward.
What is the best city project of the last 10 years? What is the worst?
The Riviera Village dining decks stand out as a great project. Launched in 2016 as a pilot program, these outdoor dining spaces transformed the area into a pedestrian-friendly, vibrant hub. Their value became even clearer during COVID-19, allowing businesses to operate safely while preserving the lively atmosphere. I support making them permanent and expanding a similar initiative to North Redondo’s Artesia corridor in a way that fits the neighborhood’s character.
Conversely, the General Plan Update process has been one of the most frustrating projects. Intended to take two years, it dragged on for seven, delaying progress on zoning and housing density while frustrating residents. The city’s decision to allocate all RHNA growth solely to North Redondo created further division, raising concerns about fairness. The process lacked clarity, efficiency, and inclusivity, eroding trust in city leadership. This highlights the need for better transparency, community engagement, and equitable planning to ensure future city initiatives earn public trust and support.
ROLF STRUTZENBERG:
How long have you lived in Redondo Beach? What brought you to the city?
I came to Redondo Beach almost 30 years ago working for Toyota designing a new airplane. As my initial six-month contract became years I grew to love our area and all that it has to offer, Toyota left but I stayed. Although I had looked at other areas to live, Redondo just always had the right feel for me. So this is home, and it needs care and responsible management, not only for us now but for the future generations that will cherish it as we all do.
What is your background? Education? Work? Previous offices held or service on commissions, etc.?
Over the past decade there has never been a time when I have not been serving our city and its residents in at least one, or multiple concurrent, role(s) as an appointed or elected official.
I have served the City of Redondo Beach as a Recreation and Parks Commissioner, Planning Commissioner, RBUSD school board member and chairman of our Charter Review Advisory Committee. Unanimously appointed by the city council to author the overwhelmingly successful arguments against ballot Measure E that sought three cannabis dispensaries in our city. A graduate of Citizens Police Academy and the only Chief’s Premier Circle Member of the Redondo Beach Police Foundation, I encourage every resident to participate in, and support, both of these entities.
I have served on the Board of Education of the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SoCalROC) since 2021 and just completed an unprecedented two consecutive years as board president leading the turnaround of this crucial local provider of career technical education, which was forecast to go under in three years. This was long overdue to eliminate ongoing massive deficit spending, and included creation of a strategic plan for growth and success going forward. It’s extremely rewarding to oversee the revival of SoCalROC for high school students, adult education, and the future of our industries that need qualified candidates.
Would you vote to bring retail cannabis to the city?
Short answer is no, I would not because it should be a ballot question for the residents to actually vote on. I would vote yes to put the question to voters!
When I wrote the ballot arguments against Measure E in 2022, the three retail locations and biased selection process were not good for us, especially since it removed city council options other than another ballot measure for changes. Municipal code provided a preemptive strike against Measure E, to say no, since we already had our own version. Measure E was soundly defeated, which left full authority with the council.
Approval by Redondo voters for Prop. 64 to legalize cannabis does not say that Redondo wants retail outlets. Legalizing use vs. adding retail outlets is a big jump, perhaps valid, but we simply don’t know how our people see it as the retail outlets issue was never put to our voters. That question should be on this ballot, easily added, at the very least as an advisory vote.
Who are your campaign contributors?
Individual residents.
What would you like to do/focus on if you are elected?
Preserving our unique and cherished beach community environment is a critical thing that I hear over and over from residents, and that I FULLY support. This has many aspects such as the ongoing fight against overdevelopment, increasing park space and upgrading park facilities, incentivizing local small businesses to open here, and even as basic as planting more trees.
Supporting our public safety, making sure we have resources allocated to address residents’ concerns of ever-increasing vehicle traffic issues. The next four years are especially important in deciding how to efficiently allocate the $93 million the public has entrusted us with for updating public safety facilities. My past experience working in the commercial building industry gives me insight and understanding to assure long-lasting facilities.
What is the best city project of the last 10 years? What is the worst?
The best was setting forth the Charter Review Advisory Committee to lead long overdue changes needed in our city charter, as the last committee established to do so was 30 years ago. While we have made great progress there is still much work to be done, for example under the current charter, members of the school board are not required to remain residents of Redondo Beach as other electeds are, only to be a resident for the 30 days prior to when they file for candidacy.
The school board voted 4 – 1 (I opposed) to make no changes to the Charter other than to allow themselves to be legally compensated, as the current charter prohibits compensation.
I stand by my position that as long as school board members are under the city charter that they should be required to remain residents for their entire term, just as other elected officials are required to in our charter.
The worst was the 3-2 decision by the city council (Brand and Sammarco opposed) to buy out the lease of the Fun Factory for $9 million just prior to the vote on Measure C in 2017.
This decision should simply have waited until after the vote on Measure C, and as it turned out was a completely unnecessary waste of our money that would have been avoided.
Because the city did not actually have the funds for this buyout, it had to be financed for over $15 million and costs the taxpayers over a half a million dollars each year for 30 years. All for a property that has since sat empty and generates no revenue for the city as we also lost the tax revenue that the Fun Factory was producing.
Whether you agree or disagree with what happened with the waterfront development project this costly buyout was a completely premature and unnecessary waste of taxpayer funds.
DARIN KING:
How long have you lived in Redondo Beach? What brought you to the city?
I’ve lived in the South Bay since 2015, having grown up in the ‘80s in the Santa Clarita Valley. Please no one find an old yearbook. What brought me here is what brings anyone (well, anyone who wants a high-quality life with a beachy vibe in a community feel): weather, beauty, safety, convenience and opportunity. As surely all our Redondo Beach residents do regularly, I think about how wonderful it is that we live in, or at least adjacent to, one of the capitals of the world, Los Angeles. The airport is close; business and entrepreneurship thrive here; our streets are relatively safe (despite my profession, crime is simply intolerable and I will do everything I can as a city councilor to encourage increased punishments and the expansion of policework), and, oh, the weather is nearly perfect, orange sunsets visible daily to everyone as twilight approaches.
What is your background? Education? Work? Previous offices held or service on commissions?
I have an undergraduate degree in Political Science (International Relations) from U.C. Santa Barbara, earned in 1998. In 2003, I graduated from the University of San Diego with my law degree. Then in 2020, I earned a Master’s Degree in the cross-disciplinary field of Religious Studies, though the focus of my studies was, and remains (especially as my return to school was really just a hobby), in the history of religion as well as the subset of philosophy called epistemology. I currently work as a senior criminal defense attorney with a boutique law firm. I view this work as a public service, assuring that the police do their jobs correctly, that constitutional rights are protected, and that the government does not overstep its authority in interacting with citizens. Additionally, I volunteer as a temporary judge in traffic court and support various charities. I have not held any public office, and I view this as a plus, divorcing me from any political baggage or favors owed.
Would you vote to allow retail cannabis stores in Redondo Beach?
Generally, I believe that cannabis should be legal. That said, I do not believe that legality means a per se welcome mat must be rolled out by each municipality to every would-be business owner seeking to open a storefront. As this relates to Redondo Beach as a whole (and to District One, in particular), I would vote against permitting any storefronts here. Delivery options are ample; as are nearby towns that do allow storefronts.
Who are your campaign contributors?
Building on the prior answer of being a bit of a political outsider, I have no significant campaign contributors (save my wife and local friends) and did not seek any endorsements. Again, I would view all that as favors owed, and that just doesn’t interest me. I make myself available as a candidate because I just want to help and do what is right, absent all bias, as an intelligent (if I may), caring, conscientious neighbor to every voter in my District. So, answered a bit differently and somewhat tongue in cheek, my campaign contributors are 50 years of a wonderful life, a spirit borne in gratitude to give back what I can, the love and support of Natalia, and a small portion of a recent paycheck for some lawn signs!
What would you like to do/focus on if you are elected?
I define myself as an advocate for slow growth, especially as it relates to housing. My main focus would be on assuring that we are concentrating mostly on parks and businesses, and pushing back against the expansion of housing. There is a state mandate that a certain amount of housing, and low-income housing, at that, be made available. I’m not convinced it’s that black and white. There are some deep and complex legal issues in play here as it relates to the implementation of Measure RB, Article XXVII of the city charter, and basic constitutionality. A city may not be able to push back completely against state or federal law, but, where it is possible, we should be doing so. I find parks and green spaces preferable. There isn’t much virgin space here and I worry that expansion would thus mean building up (i.e., higher). I find this untenable, unless what’s going up is the yearly growth of a tree trunk.
What is the best city project of the last 10 years? What is the worst?
In “City Slickers,” there’s a part where the character played by Bruno Kirby describes how one day he finally stood up to his abusive father and, as a result, his father left, never to return; and after that day, though he never saw his father again, he took care of his mother and neither he nor she was ever abused again. He described it as his worst day. It was also his best. This answer, I think, applies to what clearly is the city’s biggest issue: growth. From the Waterfront Redevelopment Project in 2016/2017 to the South Bay Social District (Galleria development) to the AES Plant, there is both some good and some bad. I described myself above as an advocate for slow growth, yet I am also pro-business and pro-public spaces (though our library certainly counts as a great one). The gridlock associated with this type of big development has been the city’s worst project: a time, litigation, and money-sink with little to show for any of it. The best project might be the Redondo Beach Transit Center, but mostly because the cost of the project turned out to be surprisingly economical. Spending taxpayer money should be done very judiciously. Government is very often terrible at that. Further, we did have a good spurt of what are called capital improvements stretching back to from 2016 or so to 2022. And, given that I am in District One, I am also pleased with the approval for the Wilderness Park pond and the clubhouse improvements. ER
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