To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
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AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO SIGN A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR THE CITY’S SAFE STREETS FOR ALL GRANT APPLICATION
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is responsible for the administration of the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant Program. The 2026 cycle is the last of five years/cycles that the USDOT will be accepting applications for the SS4A grant program. Cities like Redondo Beach are invited to apply and have been competitive at securing grants to develop Citywide Roadway Safety Action Plans (CSAP) and other planning and demonstration activities. A CSAP is a guiding document that strengthens a community’s approach to address roadway safety risks and unlocks eligibility for other State and Federal roadway safety funds.
The City is well-positioned to obtain these funds to develop a CSAP, and staff is also seeking demonstration funds to construct the previously discussed Diamond Street upgrades near RUHS. Area agencies that have been awarded SS4A grants during the previous cycles include Torrance, Lawndale, Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation District (Metro), South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), and the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The grant application is due May 26, 2026 and this is the last year applications will be accepted. This program is funded by the 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Staff has prepared a draft letter of support from the City Council to include in its grant application. Staff has already obtained letters of support from Redondo Union High School (RUHS), the Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD), and Beach Cities Health District (BCHD).
BACKGROUND
In the past decade, transportation grant monies have increasingly focused on safety in order to address the nation’s roadway safety epidemic. Deaths and serious injuries have been on the rise nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Redondo Beach did not experience a recorded roadway-related fatality in 2025, the City is not an outlier to national, state, and regional roadway safety trends, and the most typical resident requests to the City Traffic Engineer relate to safety. In response, agencies have developed CSAPs that commit to concepts such as Vision Zero and the federal Safe Systems Approach. The IIJA, through the SS4A program, committed $5 billion between 2022 and 2026 to regional, local, and tribal agencies to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries, with $1 billion available in this current 2026 round. The SS4A program supports the USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and its goal of zero roadway deaths using a Safe Systems Approach.
Currently, the City of Redondo Beach does not have any modern guiding documents for roadway safety. The City’s current Circulation Element dates back to 2009 and the City also relies on the 2011 South Bay Bicycle Master Plan and the more current Local Travel Network to inform transportation improvements. Agencies with roadway safety plans have been more effective at obtaining additional State and Federal monies to address roadway safety at the infrastructure level. A number of partner, and neighboring, agencies have already obtained SS4A funds. A CSAP for Redondo Beach would be beneficial to being more competitive for grant monies and would help the City move towards decreasing roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Furthermore, Senate Bill (SB) 932 now requires all new/updated circulation elements to incorporate the Safe Systems Approach and develop safety-related strategies. A CSAP could be incorporated as a chapter or appendix in a future Redondo Beach Circulation Element, funded by SS4A. The SS4A program requires a local match of 20%, typically fulfilled via in-kind contributions, such as staff time.
On a related note, the City has been designing safety upgrades along Diamond Street between PCH and Prospect to improve multi-modal access and safety to and from RUHS. A study was completed and presented to the Public Works, Sustainability, and Safety Commission, a District 2 community meeting, and to the City Council. Community outreach was performed, and the project is currently in final design. Staff expects additional funds will be needed for construction, and believes SS4A is an excellent program to utilize in order to obtain these funds. SS4A’s Planning and Demonstration grants not only cover creating a CSAP, but also pay for quick-build demonstration projects that are consistent with the current construction plans for Diamond Street.
Staff is recommending the City Council authorize the Mayor to sign a letter of support for the SS4A grant application on behalf of the City. Staff believes the City‘s application is competitive and compelling. This year is the last opportunity to apply for these funds and similar grant opportunities are not expected to be available in the foreseeable future.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated by the Public Works Department with support from the City Manager’s Office. Further communication related to the City’s SS4A application has been conducted with the City’s on-call grant writer, the Community Development Department, RBUSD, BCHD, and the City of Lawndale.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this report is included in the Operational Budget for the Public Works Department. If the City is awarded SS4A funding, a 20% match would be required, which can be fulfilled with in-kind resources, such as staff time.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Draft Letter of Support