Author: Brad Waller

Neighbors, When dozens of students show up to a Council meeting and ask for a crossing guard at Ford and Aviation, and the city listens, that is local government working the way it should. It was one of several meaningful moments from a week that included a restored pond at Wilderness Park, new pickleball courts…

Neighbors, The Olympics are two years away, but the window for local businesses to get certified and positioned is open right now. That was the message at a North Redondo Beach Business Association meeting Thursday morning with LA County’s Department of Economic Opportunity. Getting into the room early, before the contracts are already spoken for,…

Neighbors, What a week in Redondo Beach. Sunday’s Public Safety Open House brought families out to the Civic Center for K9 demonstrations, CPR training with the Red Cross, SWAT and rescue displays, and hands-on fire safety instruction. The day before, 60 volunteers hit the Esplanade with Keep the Esplanade Beautiful, pulling 23+ pounds of debris…

Neighbors, Last Tuesday, I joined Redondo Beach Police and Fire to honor a World War II veteran on his 100th birthday. He told us he’d already walked two miles that morning. When a centenarian credits exercise for his longevity, the rest of us should probably take notes. Moments like that — standing alongside the people…

Neighbors, Five topics were discussed at the Independent Cities Association seminar I attended this weekend: coastal regulation, cybersecurity, city revenue, short-term rentals, and the tension between state mandates and local control. Every one of them is directly relevant to Redondo Beach, and I want to walk you through the takeaways while they’re fresh. But first,…

Neighbors, Happy Presidents’ Day. While we recognize leadership at the national level today, it is also a reminder that public service happens closest to home. The decisions we make locally on budgets, infrastructure, public safety, and economic vitality directly shape the quality of life in our community. This week brings a big City Council agenda…

Neighbors, Yesterday morning, hundreds of runners hit the streets of Redondo Beach for the 48th annual Super Bowl Sunday 5K/10K — and the energy was incredible. Watching our fire department, police, public works crews, and the Chamber pull that event together year after year is one of those things that reminds you what a well-run…

Neighbors, This morning, a mural of marine life was officially unveiled at the corner of Catalina and N. Gertruda—the same spot I drove past for years thinking “that wall could use some life.” Today it gets it. But this first day of February also marks something bigger: the start of Black History Month’s centennial. One hundred years…

Neighbors, What a week. I’m just back from Sacramento, and while I was there, I saw the news we’ve been working toward for months: the Metro Board unanimously approved the Hawthorne Boulevard alignment for the C/K Line extension. That means the light rail will run where it belongs—down a commercial corridor—not through our neighborhoods. To everyone who…

Neighbors, Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This is a day that always reminds me why civic engagement matters. When I think about the arc of progress Dr. King described, I see it playing out right here in our community: neighbors showing up to advocate for one another, volunteers restoring our green spaces,…