To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: JANE CHUNG, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
LUKE SMUDE, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
TITLE
title
INTRODUCE BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3295-25, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING TITLE 2, CHAPTER 9, ARTICLE 6, SECTIONS 2-9.602 AND 2-9.603 PERTAINING TO THE REDONDO BEACH YOUTH COMMISSION AND REPEALING IN ITS ENTIRETY TITLE 2, CHAPTER 9, ARTICLE 8 PERTAINING TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
end
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On July 1, 2025, the City Council discussed the constitution of the Youth Commission and Public Safety Commission and directed staff to 1) modify the structure of the Youth Commission and 2) eliminate the Public Safety Commission. The proposed Ordinance, if adopted, would initiate Council’s direction and amend the Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) to amend Title 2, Chapter 9, Article 6, Sections 2-9.602 and 2-9.603 regarding the Redondo Beach Youth Commission, and repeal Title 2, Chapter 9, Article 8 regarding the Public Safety Commission.
BACKGROUND
The City of Redondo Beach continually evaluates the structure and effectiveness of its Boards and Commissions to ensure alignment with current policy priorities, community engagement goals, and organizational efficiency.
Throughout 2024, the Mayor and staff developed recommendations to streamline advisory functions and increase youth engagement in City government. These changes were approved by the City Council and resulted in the consolidation, elimination, and/or update of a number of the City’s Boards and Commissions. These changes were codified in the Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) and have provided a more efficient and engaging experience for a number of individuals volunteering their time to serve in an appointed advisory role.
The initial round of changes was designed to serve as a starting point for improvements and is tied to a number of other efforts being undertaken by the Mayor and City Council. This includes discussions to improve the Code of Conduct for all public meetings to clarify the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for meeting participants and the appointed and elected officials who conduct City business. Proposed updates are expected to be presented to the City Council in the upcoming months and will be designed to further improve the manner in which public meetings are conducted. It has also become clear that there are additional opportunities to adjust the roster and composition of select commissions to further streamline the City’s offerings and bring them in line with the contemporary needs of City Departments and the community. Two of these opportunities were discussed as part the City Council’s July 1, 2025 meeting agenda.
Youth Commission
The Youth Commission has experienced a great resurgence in the past year and has conducted regular meetings that have produced a number of recommendations to enhance the availability and diversity of programs and resources available to teens in the City. Currently, the Youth Commission has 15 seats, with up to 3 adult members, with an additional ad hoc subcommittee of non-voting members. After collecting feedback from the Mayor, the Staff Liaison, along with the adult and youth members of the Commission, a number of changes were recommended for the Youth Commission and supported by the City Council during the July 1 discussion:
• Refine the duties and purpose of the Commission
• Reduce the adult members to one non-voting advisory/liaison School Board member to help in student selection and advise as needed.
• Increase the number of voting youth Commissioners to 15, with the goal of having:
o 5 total from students in Grades 7 or 8
o 5 total from students in Grades 9 or 10
o 5 total from students in Grades 11 or 12
• Eliminate the non-voting, ad hoc Committee
• Lower the age of candidacy from 13 to 12
• Increase the length of each term from 1 to 2 years and allow students to serve until they graduate (with no limit on the number of terms served)
• Provide more definition regarding the selection process
Public Safety Commission
The Public Safety Commission was founded in 1996 to, “help serve as the citizens' voice in public safety affairs, provide suggestions for ensuring responsive and efficient public safety services, review public safety legislation when appropriate and directed by City Council, collaborate on, promote, and support community policing programs, and perform such other duties as directed by the City Council.” Since that time, oversight at the State level has become more prescriptive, requiring the City’s Police and Fire Departments to dedicate more time and energy to comply with an evolving set of regulations designed to promote accountability and transparency in public safety operations. Additionally, the City’s public safety departments have implemented a number of proactive community engagement programs that routinely facilitate real-time public dialogue and feedback.
As part of the mayoral and council review of commissions, the Fire and Police Chiefs engaged in discussions regarding the legal framework governing public safety personnel, including laws related to confidentiality, patient privacy, and the rights of sworn employees. Both Chiefs expressed concerns that substantive discussion of operational issues during Public Safety Commissions could inadvertently place the City at risk. The Chiefs also made clear that the communication tools now used by the departments on a day-to-day basis are much more effective in obtaining resident input on operational matters and provide a variety of platforms to more quickly respond to citizen needs.
Given the significant evolution of public safety operations since the 1996 formation of the Public Safety Commission, the Fire and Police Chiefs approached the Mayor about the possibility of eliminating the Commission to 1) focus the staff resources dedicated to the Commission on community engagement tools and programs that gather more meaningful and immediate public feedback and 2) provide other opportunities for current Commissioners to serve in a more efficient and productive way. The above items were discussed at the July 1st meeting and, after public comment and thorough deliberation, the City Council directed staff to prepare an Ordinance that if introduced and later adopted would eliminate the Public Safety Commission.
COORDINATION
This item was prepared by the City Manager’s Office and the Ordinance was prepared by the City Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT
Elimination of the Public Safety Commission would save the City roughly $50,000 per year in staff support time and expense.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Ord - No. 3295-25 Amending Section 2-9.602 and 2-9.603 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code regarding the Redondo Beach Youth Commission, and Repealing its entirety Title 2, Section 9, Article 8 regarding the Public Safety Commission