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> March 2005 City Elections
April 2005
Mayor Greg Hill Bids Farewell to
Redondo Beach
 May
2005 marks the end of my eight year term as Mayor, and my 12
years in elected office in Redondo Beach. It has been an
honor and a privilege to serve this community, and I promise
that as I go back to the private sector, I will remain an
active and vital part of the Redondo Beach that we have all
worked together to foster.
Since
1997, when I was sworn into the office of Mayor, we have
seen crime decrease by over 50%, balanced eight straight
budgets, constructed a Performing Arts Center and saw city
energy costs cut by 22%. This effort was not mine alone, but
a communal effort, undertaken by elected officials, local
leaders, and citizens who, like me, wanted to continue to
see Redondo Beach be the crown jewel of the South Bay.
As a final
tribute to all we have accomplished, there will be a
farewell celebration on June 17th, at the Crowne Plaza
Hotel, in Redondo Beach. The evening will include dinner,
live music, comedy, reminiscing and will be a fun evening
for all that attend.
March 18, 2005
Redondo Beach Chamber Board Member
Wins City Council 4th District
Steve Diels, an active
member of the Redondo Beach Chamber board of directors and this year’s
treasurer was elected March 8 as Redondo Beach’s newest City Council
Member representing the 4th District.
“I
want to thank the citizens of Redondo Beach's 4th city council district
for their support in electing me to be their representative. I
promise you that I will fight to continue the high standard of life that
we are used to in Redondo Beach and I look forward to working hard to
represent you,” announced Steve Diels upon discovering he was
victorious.
Once Steve is sworn
into the City Council, he will advocate six areas for the citizens of
Redondo Beach:
-
Fighting to reduce
traffic congestion on our neighborhood streets.
- Working with the
Police and Fire to keep crime out of our community.
- Fixing the potholes
and maintaining our transportation infrastructure.
- Ensuring that the
residents of District 4 have their OWN spokesman at City Hall.
- Create public/private
partnerships that better our schools and public services.
- Combat waste and the
large bureaucracy at City Hall.
“Steve has been a
valuable asset to the Redondo Beach Chamber as an active member, Board
Member, and Treasurer. We will miss his work with the Chamber but look
forward to working with him as one of the most pro-business council
members,” declared Marna Smeltzer, President and CEO of the Redondo
Beach Chamber.
With Steve’s breadth of
experience and volunteerism, he is more than qualified to execute his
agenda as a Redondo Beach Councilmember for the continued benefit of our
community.
“Steve will contribute
great things to our fine city. He has already accomplished so much for
all of us and it will fun to see what else he can fulfill from his
council seat,” proclaimed Ann Garten, Chair of the Board for the Redondo
Beach Chamber, Best of luck to our newest councilmember Steve Diels.
March 14,
2005
Redondo
Beach Chamber Positions on the March 2005 Ballot Measures
Last week, three
propositions were on the March 8 election ballot that impact all citizens of
Redondo Beach. The Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau
established positions on each of the three issues that went before the
voters.
SUPPORT
Proposition G
Proposition G, which
requires guests who stay in Redondo Beach hotels to pay a Transient
Occupancy Tax (TOT) to the City of Redondo Beach, was supported by the
Redondo Beach Chamber. As a result of the Chamber’s efforts, Prop. G passed
with 4,903 votes on March 8. Beginning July 1, 2005, the TOT will be raised
to 12% of the rent the hotel charges its guests. These additional funds
will be used to restore the Redondo Beach general fund revenues required to
afford the police, fire, general government, and a multitude of other
essential services for the Redondo Beach community. With this victory, the
Chamber and the people of Redondo Beach helped make a difference in order to
fulfill the vital city services needed.
SUPPORT
Proposition H
Every new business in
Redondo Beach is charged a Business License Tax by the city, which in turn
provides the Redondo Beach community with many of its necessary services.
Proposition H, also backed by the Chamber, proposed an adjustment to all
license rates every year. The change would be an amount equivalent
to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los
Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, California area, rounded up to the nearest
dollar every July 1, starting July 1, 2005. Prop. H was defeated by 1,203
votes. The license tax will continue to be based on the 1991 adjustment and
varies rates dependent on the type of business. This outdated and
unstructured tax will continue to be unfair to the businesses of Redondo
Beach. Regardless of the setback, the Chamber will work to keep other
business taxes in check to off set this sustained liability.
SUPPORT Proposition J, Option B
The third proposition,
Proposition J, Option A or Option B, featured two different ideas for how to
revitalize the AES site in downtown Redondo Beach. The Option A “Heart
Park” idea restores the coastal wetlands and creates a regional park for
Redondo Beach. Option B “Village Plan” offered a wider array of
improvements not just to the coastal areas, but also included housing
projects. The Chamber officially endorsed Option B in January of 2005.
Unfortunately, not all of the People in Redondo Beach thought the same and
the Option A “Heart Park” plan won by 964 votes. Even though Option B lost,
the Chamber will work hard to insure that the Option A reflects the ideas of
our membership.
Despite these results, the
Chamber will continue to advocate on behalf of its membership to see that
these measures are handled with the business community’s interests and
legislative priorities in mind.
January 30,
2005
Common Sense Visions or Pie in the Sky?
 On March 5th, voters will decide a
non-binding referendum that asks the voter to choose between the “Park”
open-space concept and
the Chamber-supported “Village” residential and retail concept. The land
occupied by the AES power plant is the area in question for future
development. Chamber board member Steve Diels said it best a few weeks ago
in a Daily Breeze opinion article, “The (AES) plant is not for sale.
Development is not impending. The
absence of legal significance prevents proponents of either plan from
declaring a credible victory. The issue is, by definition, moot.” We need a
common sense long term approach to the future of the AES site. This approach
calls for a long range development agreement with AES that systematically
reduces the power plant foot print by the year 2018 and insures the power
plant does not re-power at the end of their contract. A short-term approach
calls for our community to support the “Village” plan on the March 2005
ballot.
In early January, the Chamber’s
Government Relations Council unanimously approved the Chamber’s position
statement on the “Village” plan.” That statement reads: “The Redondo Beach
Chamber supports the Village Park Plan concept which reflects the
long-standing policy of the Chamber and benefits the community as a whole.”
We know the March 2005 referendum will do little if anything to influence
AES to vacate the land immediately. Current and future downtown property
owners have the right to expect a fair return on investment for their
property. Supporting the “Village” concept of the two choices on the ballot
will send a statement that our community and our downtown supports economic
revitalization. If the “Park” concept is approved, how likely is it that the
California
Conservancy will secure the
millions of dollars needed to build a park on the AES site in downtown
Redondo Beach? The community will have to pay for public safety, maintenance
and issues associated with having a regional park in our downtown. A concept
for the future usage of the AES land that promotes economic vitality is the
right short-term statement for a long-term strategy. A common sense vision
for our community and the future of the AES plan rests in supporting the
“Village” plan on the March 2005 ballot.
Click here
to contact the Redondo Beach Chamber
for more
information
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