Building A Better Redondo - One Vote at a Time

January 2010

Redondo Residents
URGENT
Important Meeting at City Hall

February 16 6:00 PM
Redondo City Council
Redondo Beach city hall adjacent to the main library on PCH.

The Redondo Beach City Council have indicated they will approve 400,000 square feet of additional development in King Harbor...

...This paves the way for a massive waterfront mall along with the possibility of three story time-shares and more - all built without a vote of the people and in violation of their own charter.

If you thought the fight was over when we passed Measure DD to allow a vote on big development in Redondo - you are wrong. The battle continues and we need your help now.

Please read below and take just a moment to help support BBR - and the future of Redondo.

Thank you!

For the very latest check out the blog here

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The Good News

If you're an old timer, you know the battle to allow a vote on big development has been raging for years here in our sleepy seaside village.

If you aren't a newbie skip & go directly to the BBR blog

If you're new to Redondo, here's the scoop:
In 2008, after a long fight by our tireless volunteers, we were thrilled when Measure DD, the citizen-led initiative, passed into law and became Article XXVII of the City Charter which allows for a vote of the people on large scale development.

The Bad News

In Oct 2009, the Redondo City Council (excluding Councilman Bill Brand) along with the City Attorney, indicated they will not put a key zoning ordinance of a massive new Harbor Development plan to a vote of people as required by the new law.

The City Attorney's interpretation of the new law is that the zoning for the harbor is "already effective" and therefore a vote of the people is not required. We know what that means!

Many of you at this point don't require more details or legal mumbo-jumbo - you just want to know what to do to enforce the charter and get the vote, so for you we offer the ...

...The Bottom Line -
Building a Better Redondo is going to Court and we need your donation ASAP

As it stands, only a judge can force the City to comply with its own law. We are asking all concerned Redondo residents to donate to our legal fund. Even a small amount can help.

Send a personal check made out to Building a Better Redondo and mail it to:
BBR HQ
602 South Broadway Ave, Unit B
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

We no longer accept Paypal, sorry!

Want to become an official BBR member?
Fill Out the Membership Form here and send it along with your donation. Thanks!

Okay Back to the rest of the story for you detail type folks ...

What does the City Attorney actually say?

The Redondo City Attorney has given his reasons for not allowing a vote by stating that the zoning for the Redondo harbor is "already effective" and therefore a vote of the people is not required.

That is simply not true. Article XXVII of the City Charter (Measure DD) which allows for a vote of the people on large scale development is designed to trigger a vote on just such upzoning decisions.

The City Attorney's claim that zoning for the Redondo harbor is "already effective" ignores this key statement at the end of the harbor rezoning ordinance: “For purposes of approving Coastal Development Permits, this ordinance shall be effective on the date of certification by the Coastal Commission."

As far as the Coastal Commission, a state agency that oversees California's Coastal Zone, they have denied the Redondo City Council's zoning change application and not certified the ordinance, so clearly the zoning for the harbor is not "already effective" as the City Attorney claims.

By ignoring the Coastal Commission's jurisdiction, the City Attorney also ignores California state law which mandates that coastal zoning is not effective until certified by the Coastal Commission.

Finally, the City Attorney has also said "parts of the Land Use Plan may have to go to a vote." Don’t let that fool you.

The Redondo harbor rezoning is made up of two parts: the "Land Use Plan" and the "Zoning Ordinance". The zoning ordinance is the critical document that residents deserve and need to vote on.

We have stated as much and detailed the Harbor scheme in our Legal Counsel's Comment letter to the City posted here.

The City needs to end this legal gridlock. They need to make the final zoning changes and then the City needs put this on the ballot for a vote of the people - per the City's own Charter, Article XXVII.

As it stands, only a judge can force the City to comply with its own law. We are asking all concerned Redondo residents to donate to our legal fund. Even a small amount can help.

Send a personal check made out to Building a Better Redondo and mail it to:
BBR HQ
602 South Broadway Ave, Unit B
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

We no longer accept Paypal, sorry!

Want to become an official BBR member?
Fill Out the Membership Form here and send it along with your donation. Thanks!

More Details:
What The City Council Says

The Council has indicated they will move forward with harbor development without allowing for a public vote. They, along with the City Attorney will not honor their own City Charter.

Before turning to a lawsuit, in October 2009, BBR along with over 100 people, including many Redondo residents and BBR supporters, attended the Redondo Beach Council Meeting to ask the Council to honor Article XXVII of their own City Charter and bring the harbor zoning to a vote.

Unfortunately, for the exception of Councilman Bill Brand, the Redondo Council and Mayor refused to adhere to their own City Charter and rejected the will of the people.

The Redondo Beach Council’s response at the meeting was the very same as we heard with "the Heart of the City" fiasco … trust us, we promise we will not let the developers build that much.

But we know better. The Council's decision to lease the harbor portion to Decron Corp, which has now produced a conceptual plan for a 200,000 square foot waterfront mall on the last significant open space in the harbor - and all without a vote of the people. To trust them at this point is simply not an option.

The only means we have to fight the City as it ignores the will of the people and the City Charter, is a lawsuit.

BBR and people of Redondo need your support in the form of contributions to our legal fund. We intend to file a lawsuit asking a judge to force the
City to follow its charter by putting this massive upzoning to a vote of the people.

We are asking all concerned residents to donate to our legal fund immediately. Time is running out.

Send a personal check made out to Building a Better Redondo and mail it to:
BBR HQ
602 South Broadway Ave, Unit B
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Note: We no longer take Paypal ... sorry!

Want to become an official BBR member?
Fill Out the Membership Form here and send it along with your donation. Thanks!

Need to call us?
ph (310) 374-4284
Please allow us at least 3 days to return your call, thanks.

Sometimes Building a Better Community Means Less Building

Previously a PAC to support Measure DD, BBR is currently applying for 501c3 non-profit status.