South Bay Forward’s 2025 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach

We developed this list of priorities among our Redondo Beach members and have shared this with the city council and city commissions in advance of their strategic planning and budget process.

South Bay Forward’s 2025 Policy & Budgeting Priorities for Redondo Beach

South Bay Forward is an advocacy organization moving the South Bay region forward on housing, transit, and active mobility. We believe that regional coordination on these areas, as well as city-level policymaking, planning, and funding are crucial to a more affordable, accessible, and sustainable region for people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds.

Our membership includes nearly 100 engaged constituents in all five districts of Redondo Beach focused on working alongside community and city leadership to bring down the cost of living and build a thriving and welcoming city. Redondo Beach, like many cities in our region, faces complex challenges and opportunities. We have developed a list of priorities for policies, programs, and funding for the city and look forward to working on projects of shared interest. We ask you to consider these items in your upcoming Strategic Planning and Budget Cycle exercises.

Housing Affordability and Supply:

These priorities will improve affordability and equity in the city and ensure sustainable economic growth.

1. Continue your leadership on addressing homelessness and expanding temporary, RSO, and permanent supportive housing options, which has served as a model for other cities.
2. Ensure 6th Cycle Housing Element implementation and reporting to meet the city’s housing goals.
3. Expand Section 8 outreach activities for high-need households and landlords. Expand housing supply for voucher recipients to utilize vouchers.
4. Support and incentivize transit-oriented development near the Redondo Beach Transit Center and Redondo Beach C/K Line Marine Station.
5. Implement Livable Communities Initiative-type policy changes to encourage small lot development and walkable urbanism in key districts such as Riviera Village, Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance Boulevard, and Artesia/Aviation.
6. Implement renter protections and transparency such as a Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Rental Registry and include tenants’ rights resources on the city’s website. See examples from Santa Ana and Pasadena.
7. Facilitate development of senior housing, affordable housing, and workforce housing in the city.
8. Affirmatively further fair housing by approving multi-family, mixed-income, and affordable housing in high-opportunity areas across the city.

Transit Network & Land Use:

These priorities will improve the city’s local transit system to shift travel from cars to transit, reduce traffic and parking burden, and create an interconnected transportation network.

9. Reinvest and strengthen Beach Cities Transit:

1. Work with BCT staff and RBUSD to enroll BCT in Metro GoPass and LIFE programs to provide free transit rides to K-12 students and low-income residents.
2. Direct staff to explore route improvements for BCT Lines 102 and 109, including route changes and stop consolidation for efficiency.
3. Fund and increase service frequencies to make the lines more convenient and usable.
4. Improve publicity and communications to advertise BCT use for residents and visitors traveling from Redondo Beach to Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo - similar to the successful trolley networks in Orange County beach cities.

10. Advocate to the South Bay Cities COG on regional transportation projects in advance of the 2028 Olympics including:

1. Advance the concept for an I-405 Freeway Express Bus, as explored in the Metro Rail Network Integration Study (pg 37).
2. Advance a regional study of bus rapid transit in the South Bay, including bus lines and streets with the highest potential for bus rapid transit (other COGs have studied bus rapid transit including San Gabriel Valley COG and Westside Cities COG).
3. Champion and host Open Streets events such as a CicLAvia event in Redondo Beach.
4. Incorporate the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan into the COG’s Local Travel Network so that it can be more than a network of signage and sharrows.
5. Oppose freeway and road widening projects in the South Bay which induce traffic and generate pollution in freeway-adjacent communities.

11. Advance first-last mile improvement projects to access the Redondo Beach Transit Center and Redondo Beach Marine Station, including in advance of the K Line realignment and extension.
12. Work cooperatively with LA Metro on the C/K Line Extension to Torrance to ensure the project is built in a timely manner, making the best use of Measure M tax dollar investments in the South Bay and maximizing benefits to serve the growing needs of the community with long-term regional transit.
13. Study and implement preferential permit parking or Parking Benefit programs in parking-impacted neighborhoods, especially near the Coastal Zone and business districts, to reduce parking pressures on local streets. For more on parking reform, see Parking Reform Network.

Active Mobility & Traffic Calming:

These priorities will ensure safe streets for walking and biking, better link neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion via mode shift, and reduce risk and liability associated with unsafe streets.

14. Prioritize the full buildout of the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan, including the 2024 Update which includes Class IV protected bike lanes to provide safety for people of all ages and abilities.

1. Prioritize safe bicycle infrastructure for the safety of all ages and abilities, even if it means removing car lanes or street parking such as on Prospect Ave or Artesia Blvd.
2. Develop and implement an updated citywide Bike Implementation Plan that includes funding and staffing necessary to advance safer streets.
3. Fund additional Public Works engineering positions to expand capacity, understanding that safer streets through engineering and design reduces burden on law enforcement.

15. Support and advance in-progress bicycle infrastructure and traffic calming projects including:

1. Crosswalks and signals at Aviation Boulevard.
2. Palos Verdes Boulevard Class IV bike lanes.
3. Diamond Street circulation improvements at Redondo Union HS.
4. Inglewood/Grant Ave bike hub, native garden, and bike lanes.
5. Redondo Beach Blvd Bicycle Corridor from Dominguez Park to El Camino College.

• Advocate to Torrance and Lawndale city council to include Class IV bike lanes on their portions of the project for full corridor benefits.

16. Support new opportunities for bicycle infrastructure and traffic calming, including:

1. Purchase and install electronic bicycle counters at Harbor Drive and North Redondo Beach Bikeway to gather data on bike ridership.
2. Fund and install raised crossings for bikes at North Redondo Beach Bikeway to facilitate bike movement and slow down cars.
3. Commission a Prospect Avenue Mobility Corridor Study for protected bike lanes on Prospect Ave. See proposal developed by South Bay Bicycle Coalition Plus and supported by community organizations including South Bay Forward and Beach Cities Health District.
4. Advance Safe Routes to Schools priorities to ensure students have safe routes to walk and bike to local schools.

17. Support pedestrianization opportunities in commercial zones including in Riviera Village and the Artesia Corridor.

We believe these recommendations, if advanced, will significantly improve quality of life for all Redondo Beach residents. In the future, we support efforts in the city to carry out citywide polling and facilitate a participatory budget process for greater community input and objective data. In addition to the recently-implemented ranked choice voting, we would also support charter reform measures such as on-cycle elections to increase voter participation. Thank you for your dedication and leadership in the city.