TO: HISTORICAL COMMISSION
FROM: CAMERON HARDING, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
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MOMENT IN REDONDO BEACH HISTORY
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RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file a report on a Moment in Redondo Beach History
BACKGROUND
The Historical Commission voted at the September 18, 2019 meeting to include a brief Moment in Redondo Beach History feature at all future meetings.
ALBERT P. ARIZMENDEZ MOMENT IN REDOND BEACH HISTORY
Redondo Beach’s Sister Cities by Ron Maroko, Historical Commissioner
Redondo Beach has four Sister Cities: La Paz, Baja California, Mexico; Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico; Zhangjiagang, China; and Itoman City, Okinawa, Japan.
What is a Sister City? From a 1983 Redondo Beach program celebrating Sister City Cultural Exchange Week, “A Sister City is a two-way, people to people exchange of customs, ideas, and hospitality. It makes available a mutual bond between people of different countries and unfamiliar surroundings.” From the www.redondosistercities.org website: “In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the early pioneers of the sister cities movement believed that if people could cross national boundaries and get to know each other personally, their mutual respect and understanding could transform diplomatic relations.”
In March, 1961, Redondo Beach became a Sister City with La Paz. Three years later, on February 3, 1964, the Redondo Beach City Council unanimously passed, and Mayor William F. Czuleger signed, Resolution 4042 welcoming Ensenada as a Sister City. In September of 2005, the Chinese Counsel General of Los Angeles visited Redondo Beach and proposed a Sister City relationship with Zhangjiagang. That visit culminated in Redondo Beach Resolution CC-00701-04 establishing a Sister City relationship with Zhanjiagang. Mayor Mike Gin signed that resolution. In July of 2012, Redondo Beach adopted its fourth Sister City, Itoman City, when the Council approved, and Mayor Gin signed, Resolution CC-1207- 642. Current Mayor Bill Brand, then a councilmember, voted in-favor of the 2012 resolution. As current Mayor, Mr. Brand is the Honorary Chair of the Redondo Beach Sister Cities Committee.
As a historical footnote, in September of 1995, the City Council voted (Resolution 7765) to welcome and establish a Sister City relationship with an unspecified city in Taiwan, although it appears that no further City action was taken following this vote.
In 1962, when La Paz was the only Sister City, the Redondo Beach Council unanimously passed Resolution 3688 which recognized and commended the philanthropy of Von E. Carstedt of Long Beach, who assisted in the early success of the program by transporting by airplane 15 youths of the La Paz Boy’s Town following their 12-day visit to Redondo Beach (at no cost to the cities or the youth), and delivered by “air over 1,000 Christmas presents, weighing over 600 pounds” to La Paz at no cost.
In 2001, Redondo Beach Sister City Committee President Gentil Smith requested that a retired 1981 Crown Pumper fire engine be donated to La Paz through the Sister City program. In her letter to the Mayor and the Council, Ms. Smith noted that Redondo Beach had donated a pumper to La Paz thirty years earlier. The request was approved. In 1967, Dick Fitzgerald had reported that, in addition to the fire engine for La Paz, Hughes Aircraft donated a fire engine for Ensenada, Redondo Beach donated a street sweeper for Ensenada, the Daily Breeze donated a 2-ton truck for the Art Center of La Paz, Redondo Police donated police lights, sirens, and speakers on racks, and Catalina Music Co. donated 4,400 records (the vinyl kind).
Other activities in the 1967 report included: creation of a 17-foot high “sombrero” float for the Tournament of Roses parade that featured a Mariachi band and float queens from Ensenada, La Paz, and Redondo Beach; a tri-city baseball tournament in Ensenada; a tri-city basketball tournament in La Paz; bowling matches in Ensenada and Redondo Beach; and numerous student and civic exchanges.
Two of our local parkettes are named after our first two sister cities. Ensenada Parkette, located at 1701 Armour Lane was dedicated on April 8, 1978; La Paz Parkette, located at 1916 Morgan Lane, was dedicated on May 6, 1978. Both were dedicated “in recognition of lasting friendship between two peoples and two countries” David Hayward was the Redondo Beach mayor, Dr. Francisco Cardoza Macia was the La Paz Municipal president, and Ann Tardaguila of Redondo and Martha H. De Nava of La Paz were the Sister Cities Committees president. The La Paz Parkette was rededicated on September 18, 2012. For the rededication, Mike Gin was the Redondo Beach mayor; current City Manager Joe Hoefgen was the Recreation, Transit and Community Services Director; and current Assistant City Manager Mike Witzansky was the Public Works Director.
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