A community garden may sound like a great idea, and I’m a fan of the Blue Zones/BCHD gardens, but this question tonight is a bit complicated. You see, the Secretary of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy (SBPC) which tonight is asking for $53K of taxpayer money and control of citizen owned land, is also the CEO of Building a Better Redondo (BBR), which has just sued the city and its citizens for $760K, plus interest and attorney’s fees for their very expensive attorney. The total is expected to run over $1MM. SBPC, a non-profit founded in 2004, has been raising money for years, but is secretive about what it does with the money. BBR thanked the South Bay Parkland Conservancy and Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW) for doing the fundraising for the lawsuit.
Bill Brand, the sitting mayor, was the founding president of SBPC, and his wife is on the board, so Bill Brand really shouldn’t be voting on their business before the council. Oddly for a non-profit, SBPC partners with Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW), a Political Action Committee or PAC, both for fundraising and for suing the City of Redondo Beach. Since the SBPC and ROW PAC helped BBR raise money for the lawsuit, and ROW was co-founded by sitting City Council Member Nils Nehrenheim, and Nehrenheim continues to manage ROW PAC’s web presence, rescueourwaterfront.org, Nehrenheim should not be voting on business SBPC brings before the board.
Leaving aside the SBPC/ROW/BBR/Brand/Nehrenheim conflicts of interest, leaving aside the distaste of 26,360 Redondo Beach households giving a gift of $53K to an organization that is fixing to take upwards of $1MM from our coffers, it just seems like a bad idea to give taxpayer money to a private organization which hasn’t opened its books to scrutiny.
How about if SBPC opens its books before asking for another dime of our money or for a square inch of our public land? How about if the South Bay Parkland Conservancy creates new park land, instead of grabbing the little we already have?
I am so proud of the efforts to create a community garden in Redondo Beach. A community garden is exactly what this city needs. For one, community gardens have been proven to improve the negative effects of climate change. Coastal cities, like Redondo Beach, will be impacted by global warming as sea levels rise. Studies have also shown that these gardens can do wonderful things for cities including improving storm water retention and promoting rich ecosystems. Additionally, community gardens are important in addressing food insecurity. According to the LA Food Bank, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 5 people in LA county was facing food insecurity. As the pandemic has continued, increasing numbers of people have needed food assistance. Redondo Beach can take a step forward in addressing this grave issue and ensure that there are places, like the proposed community garden, to promote food security and ensure that people do not continue to go hungry. As a future health care provider who lived in Redondo Beach as a young person, I understand the significance of a Redondo Beach community garden. In addition to addressing food insecurity and reducing the number of individuals affected by hunger, a community garden would be crucial in teaching Redondo Beach kids about growing food and sustainability. These topics will enrich children's lives and teach them to be more responsible stewards of our planet. I have had the fortune to visit other cities and countries with community gardens and I have always been so impressed and moved by the way that community gardens are able to bring people together and build true community. Redondo Beach would be missing out significantly if it does not approve this one. Most importantly, I trust the vision of the community lead, Brianna Egan. As someone who attended school with Ms. Egan and has seen her passion for food justice and sustainability, I know that the idea of this community garden is one that was born out of a love of people, Redondo Beach, the planet, and humanity. I cannot imagine a better person to lead this project than Ms. Egan so I hope the the council approves the Redondo Beach community garden.
Since 2017, I have served as the President of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy and can speak to the integrity of our organization and our ability to support and enable the community members of Redondo Beach in their desire to establish a community garden.
We do not support political candidates or their campaigns. Allegations that state otherwise about SBPC are false. SBPC is an organization that supports residents on community initiatives that align with our mission to preserve open space for parkland. We provide a foundation that empowers and enables our residents to come together on the projects that matter most to them- like the RB community garden. People may move on to different cities, but the SBPC is focused over the long term to provide organizational support and resources. The SBPC community is not just for Redondo Beach, but for all of the South Bay. True to our charter as a non-profit, we will support our residents when it's time to make a stand for our parkland resources. We will rally behind sound projects that our community needs, and stand to oppose projects that favor urbanization over open space.
I believe that we have the right ingredients here to make sure that the garden is a success. But we need the City's support to make it happen. Collaboration is the key.
Erika Snow Robinson, Joan Irvine and Maggie Healy's conflicts of interest claims with Bill Brand, Nils Nehrenheim and Todd Loewenstein’s support of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy simply do not exist. There is NO impropriety between SBPC and the Mayor, or the Councilmembers they mention. Brand for Mayor 2017 did not receive ANY political campaign donations from SBPC. SBPC contributed separately to a lawsuit regarding protection of PARKLAND, the Seaside Lagoon, entirely consistent with their mission; hardly nefarious as Irvine and Healy imply.
Robinson, Irvine and Healy wrongfully postulate that Jim Light’s affiliation with SBPC is somehow a disqualification. Light placed his name on three citizen-led lawsuits against the City over a span of 12 years. All three times, the City thumbed their noses at Light and residents who accurately described deficiencies and problems, imploring the City to fix them. The City refused each time, leaving no course of action other than through the courts. The City lost and cost taxpayers due to their refusal to follow the law.
Apparently Robinson, Irvine, Healy and Elisabeth Diels lack the initiative and intelligence to read and comprehend court judgments, or ignore that evidence when it doesn’t fit their agendas to defame others. Additionally, how do they not know anyone can go to the IRS website to view 990 forms and request details for non-profits? Why are they not concerned about the City’s involvement and monetary support of non-profits NRBBA and Keep The Esplanade Beautiful, neither of which have complied with public requests for THEIR financials? We know why! It’s more of the smear and hate campaign they and a few others in the minority perpetuate against anything Brand and Light champion.
I support a Community Garden in Redondo Beach and am thankful for the joint efforts of the RBCG committee and the South Bay Parkland Conservancy to bring one or more such gardens to our Blue Zones-recognized City. Perhaps a Community Garden on the vacant, City-owned lot Ms. Robinson unlawfully used for a personal storage shed would be a fitting reminder of how to follow laws and not denegrate others in the process!
I write to support the establishment of a community garden in Redondo Beach. The LiveWell gardens that Beach Cities Health District established at our area elementary schools exemplify the vitality and health enhancements that gardens bring to our community. What I strenuously object to, is the City of Redondo Beach providing any funding to South Bay Parkland Conservancy for this or any other purpose. SBPC has used its tax exempt status to solicit and collect monies for various political purposes, including the political action committee, Rescue Our Waterfront, and has refused to respond to request for document production, including tax returns, which by law, they are required to do. There is also the issue of SBPC providing funding to Bill Brand’s mayoral campaign. The consideration or grant of funding to SBPC given the presence of Brand and his cronies on the SBPC board of directors and advisory board, is entirely inappropriate, and would be an expansion of an autocratic administration that is only working for its narrow interests and not the majority of Redondo Beach residents.
Arnette Travis
29-year resident
I support the idea of a community garden in Redondo Beach. Such a project would be a wonderful symbol of the health and vitality that we would all like to enjoy. But, let’s keep politics out of our community garden and make sure we have the right partner. The South Bay Parkland Conservancy does not comply with federal tax law and seems to ignore the rules governing non-profit organizations by engaging in political campaigns. This is not a good fit.
The South Bay Parkland Conservancy claims to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. However, the SBPC has shared funds with Mayor Brand’s election campaign and it continues to solicit legal defense funds for the Rescue Our Waterfront political action committee. During the recent elections, SBPC provided website hosting to the reelection campaigns of Mayor Brand and other officials who've aligned themselves with ROW. Those officials should recuse themselves from discussing this item.
The SBPC is not an organization that can bring unity with this project. Its board members have a history of encouraging divisiveness in our community through negative attacks against City officials, staff, and other community organizations. They've launched suits against the City and its citizens, costing taxpayers millions of dollars, and they vilify and verbally assault residents who ask for accountability and transparency.
If the City ignored citizen requests for records like the SPBC does, you can be sure SBPC board members would be suing us again. It is outrageous that such an organization would now be asking residents to give them City land and resources.
Once again, I applaud the intentions of the good people who want to create a community garden and I would like to help them. However, the SBPC is the wrong organization to sponsor them. It would be irresponsible, not to mention damaging to our community, for the City Council to channel resources to an organization that fails to follow laws and regulations, that uses such resources for political purposes and whose leaders and advisors are known for spewing the negativity and division that has plagued our community for far too long.
While I agree in the idea of having a community garden which brings the residents together for a common good, I do not agree that now is the right time to move forward with the city funding this.
We have just experienced a decrease of almost 8 million dollars to our city budget, which lead to the deauthorization of 26 positions, 3 of which are sworn police officer positions. Before we think about putting money we don’t have toward a community garden, we need to put it toward safety and encouraging business which will in turn, bring in more revenue.
Also, when the city pursues community gardens, they need to partner with an organization that has been thoroughly vetted, and is not partnered with other political organizations which sue our city. Quoted from a post on Rescue Our Waterfront‘s FaceBook page, “Rescue Our Waterfront, Building a Better Redondo, and South Bay Parkland Conservancy partnered to pursue a lawsuit against the city of Redondo Beach...”. Why is the city considering partnering with an organization that sues the city?
I requested full financials of this 501c3 and have yet to receive full financials. Per IRS Code, “A political organization exempt from taxation under section 527(a) must make available for inspection and copying its report of contributions and expenditures on Form 8872...”, I requested these back in 2019, and have yet to receive them.
For these reasons, the city should not partner with SBPC now or in the future.
As a 28 year resident of District 5 in Redondo Beach, I am excited about the prospect of community gardens and specifically the project spearheaded by Ms.Eagan who has a genuine interest in improving her community. As a novice gardener, I would greatly appreciate the education and community spirit this would generate. I wholeheartedly support the proposal and urge our representatives to do the same.
Shouldn’t the Parkland Conservancy be donating money to the City for parks rather than asking for the City’s money?
And didn’t the State of California require Mayor Brand to return tens of millions of dollars in parkland grant money because the Mayor mislead the State and the Redondo Beach residents that Brand could purchase parkland?
Brand and his SBPC friends failed to deliver. Brand and the SBPC cannot be trusted with the management of City funds. A garden is great. So don’t allow SBPC to mess it up.
How can an organization such as the South Bay Parkland Conservancy be trusted with our city money when they can't even report their annual finances. Over the past year, I have seen several people ask for this, which has been ignored. I am very concerned that they are a front for ulterior motives. Their website claims to be a 501c3 organization, but I have seen them endorsing candidates and measures over the past several years. I have personally checked, and this is not allowed by the IRS.
As recent as 2020, the SBPC made announcements and solicitations on behalf of a political organization, Rescue our Waterfront who is suing our city. Both of these groups have direct ties to Mayor Brand and Councilman Nehrenheim. They have also illegally led donors on the SBPC website to donate "tax-deductible" to help fight personal legal bills for them.
The South Bay Parkland Conservancy should have no ties with the City of Redondo Beach. It would likely put us in further legal issues down the line as they get exposed.
I was blown away to read that an organization, the South Bay Parkland Conservancy, would even be considered when partnering with the City of Redondo Beach. Its roots are clearly within a group that has continuously divided our community, led by Mayor Brand and direct ties to Todd Loewenstein and Nils Nehrenheim. This organization has disguised itself as a community group while secretly fundraising, donating, and coordinating campaign resources for these candidates and other self-serving causes.
This whole thing reminds me of the ongoing lawsuit against Brand and Nehrenheim claiming they had a controlling interest in Rescue our Waterfront. Similar to how Nehrenheim was a co-founder of ROW, Brand was the founder of SBPC. How can this be that much of a coincidence? Further, I see all the same people involved in both organizations.
I think it is clear; the South Bay Parkland Conservancy is using our city with their agents on the City Council pushing it through. I like the idea of a garden, but I think this is not the group to trust with it.
Janelle Brannen
18 Years Redondo Beach resident since 2003
In reading the proposal for a Community Garden, I was surprised to see a community group intertwined with several City Council members. The idea of a garden is great, but letting the South Bay Parkland Conservancy be involved in anything on any city property seems inappropriate.
For one, it was started and still advised by Mayor Brand, not to mention his wife serving on its board. It would be fine, except for the fact that this is supposed to be a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, but they have political undertones frequently. Not only is Mayor Brand's website owned by them, but it also appears to be in collusion with Councilman Nehrenheim, who runs the site through his "Computer Chief” business. This is a clear violation of IRS rules for this type of organization. Nonetheless, neither Mayor Brand nor Councilman Nehrenheim should be part of any discussion.
I would recommend City Staff and the City Attorney's office review any other ties to this organization before any further decisions are made. Donations to campaigns, website domain ownership, and meeting minutes for these organizations should be publically available, including historical changes that are tracked and available online. i.e., domain registrations do have a history, even if their current owner has changed. Likewise, meeting minutes should be provided on request to conduct business with the city, even if they are not publicly accessible.
The South Bay Parkland Conservancy has a history in politics for Redondo Beach and other cities. Over the past couple of decades, we have seen this organization formed and created through a group of people involved in Rescue our Waterfront, Building a Better Redondo and NoPowerPlant, Save the Riviera, and more. They have continuously crossed the lines between advocacy of candidates, policies while under the guise of protecting our environment. Doing some very rudimentary searches, I was able to see all of the same people involved in each.
Ironically, this group formed by Mayor Brand is now asking for his support to use city funds to create a garden? That seems to be in direct conflict with what our council should be looking at. The same people involved have successfully sued the city for millions of dollars. They have taken the will of the people through Measure G and twisted it to now have a detriment to our waterfront's future, blocking any reasonable project through Measure C. They also promised to rid our waterfront of a powerplant for over twenty years, and we are no closer now than we were then.
It is a shame that such a great idea can be scarred by such a fake organization. I highly discourage the city council from working with this group. They have already cost our city millions and millions of dollars for their agenda. Let's not hand them another dime.
Community Garden, YES! Partnering with an organization that raises money to sue the City? That’s a hard, NO!!
This organization has lurked around the fringes of our city for decades, only to rear their heads every election year, asking for (tax deductible!) donations (all in the name if parks, of course!) then turns around and supports political candidates (in violation of their 501(c)3 status). Most recent example, SBPC “hosted” (paid for) campaign websites for the election that just happened this month! That’s a conflict of interest, if I’ve ever seen one. Quid pro quo?? SBPC monetarily supports the mayor and councilman’s campaign - then the elected’s bring a request to the council to fund their group with our tax dollars!
While I’m sure there are some good folks that have recently gotten tangled up with this “organization” (bless their hearts) in the interest of parks... the core group are politically motivated. One of the founders has sued our city (more than once!) and the mayor’s wife is currently on their Board. Cronyism at its finest!
Before one dime of our tax dollars are handed over to any organization, the city should be required to thoroughly vet the group. A complete and transparent accounting (regardless of the IRS annual receipt thresholds) of their entire financial backing from inception should be available for the taxpayers to review. Resident’s have been asking for financial transparency from the Parkland Conservancy for over two years. An organization who refuses to be transparent and present their financial dealings has much to hide.
Community Garden, YES! Financially partnering with SBPC, double hockey sticks, NO!!
I support a Community Garden, but not with South Bay Parkland Conservancy (SBPC).
To safeguard our city from any optics/actuality of impropriety and potential conflict of interest, I strongly recommend that Mayor Brand recuse himself from any discussion and decision on this agenda item:
• Brand was a Co-Founder of the SBPC and currently on its Advisory Board.
• The Mayor’s wife is a Board Member.
• Bill Brand for Mayor 2017 received $4270 from the SBPC, a 501 c 3, a charitable non-profit. According to the IRS “Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or INDIRECTLY participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
• SBPC owns BillBrand.org domain.
The Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW), a Political Action Committee (PAC) domain’s Registration Service is provided by: The Computer Chief. This is D1 CC member Nils Nehrenheim’s company. Therefore, Nils is in Conflict of Interest, too.
I have a concern about SBPC and its seeming inability to comply with the IRS regulations which jeopardizes their 501 c 3 status. Also, there is the optics of collusion between Brand, Jim Light Build a Better Redondo (BBR), and (ROW) because of the following:
• Light is the Secretary of the Board of SBPC. Light is head of BBR.
• Dawn Esser listed as ROW is on the SBPC Advisory Committee
• SBPC accepted tax deductible donations for ROW – a MAJOR violation of its 501 c 3 statis.
This is how cities get into trouble – potential misappropriation of funds and unchecked Conflicts of Interest. I ask the City engage an independent investigator or ask the IRS to research the seeming collusion among SBPC, BBR, and ROW. She may find that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s been going on in Redondo for the last decade.
I feel bad for SBPC. It has an honorable mission, was established with good intentions, and has dedicated volunteers. But sadly, some of its Board seem to have failed in their fiduciary duties and allowed it to be exploited for political and financial gains.
A community garden is a no brainer. A great investment with major dividends. Community is the key word. Socialization, create relationships with neighbors, physical and mental health benefits- and we haven’t even gotten to the fresh, healthy food part yet! Let’s do this! Thank you.
I am in full support of a community garden in the City of Redondo Beach. I have had the pleasure of watching how much the Hermosa community garden has been bringing neighbors together for years. Hermosa has strategically placed their garden at a park, where all generations can enjoy it. I love that the little Hermosa garden has gathered hundreds of pounds of donated produce to donate to local food pantries and families in need. It is such thoughtful gesture that Redondo can learn from. Considering that Redondo is a densely packed community, we should relish in the opportunities for small areas of open space where a community garden can thrive. Please take this time to consider a community garden for our city. Candace Nafissi, Resident for over a decade.
As a gardener, a mother, and a 16-year resident of North Redondo Beach, I am thrilled that the City is considering installing a community garden.
Thanks to the Beach Cities Health District, every elementary school in Redondo Beach has a LiveWell Kids garden, where children get to enjoy working in the garden while learning the basics of what it takes to grow your own food. As a garden docent at Washington Elementary, I have witnessed many times the calming effect that being in the garden has on young children. And as a mother, I am lucky to have a yard large enough, with enough sunlight, to enjoy gardening with my young daughter at home. But clearly, this is a luxury that many Redondo Beach residents simply do not have.
It’s time to give the people of Redondo a place where they can bring their kids - or not - to plant a garden if they don’t have the space for it at home.
We need a community garden in Redondo Beach. For a city that is so widespread, having community centered activities that promote unity within the city is needed. The disconnection between the different neighborhoods could be addressed with such a simple intervention.
I am in full support of a community garden in Redondo Beach and believe South Bay Parkland Conservancy has proven a valuable ally for the City to work with in support of this goal. The number of volunteer hours in places like Wilderness Park and cooperation with other civic groups have shown they are a committed and reliable partner.
A community garden may sound like a great idea, and I’m a fan of the Blue Zones/BCHD gardens, but this question tonight is a bit complicated. You see, the Secretary of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy (SBPC) which tonight is asking for $53K of taxpayer money and control of citizen owned land, is also the CEO of Building a Better Redondo (BBR), which has just sued the city and its citizens for $760K, plus interest and attorney’s fees for their very expensive attorney. The total is expected to run over $1MM. SBPC, a non-profit founded in 2004, has been raising money for years, but is secretive about what it does with the money. BBR thanked the South Bay Parkland Conservancy and Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW) for doing the fundraising for the lawsuit.
Bill Brand, the sitting mayor, was the founding president of SBPC, and his wife is on the board, so Bill Brand really shouldn’t be voting on their business before the council. Oddly for a non-profit, SBPC partners with Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW), a Political Action Committee or PAC, both for fundraising and for suing the City of Redondo Beach. Since the SBPC and ROW PAC helped BBR raise money for the lawsuit, and ROW was co-founded by sitting City Council Member Nils Nehrenheim, and Nehrenheim continues to manage ROW PAC’s web presence, rescueourwaterfront.org, Nehrenheim should not be voting on business SBPC brings before the board.
Leaving aside the SBPC/ROW/BBR/Brand/Nehrenheim conflicts of interest, leaving aside the distaste of 26,360 Redondo Beach households giving a gift of $53K to an organization that is fixing to take upwards of $1MM from our coffers, it just seems like a bad idea to give taxpayer money to a private organization which hasn’t opened its books to scrutiny.
How about if SBPC opens its books before asking for another dime of our money or for a square inch of our public land? How about if the South Bay Parkland Conservancy creates new park land, instead of grabbing the little we already have?
Sondra Segall
34-year resident of Redondo Beach
I am so proud of the efforts to create a community garden in Redondo Beach. A community garden is exactly what this city needs. For one, community gardens have been proven to improve the negative effects of climate change. Coastal cities, like Redondo Beach, will be impacted by global warming as sea levels rise. Studies have also shown that these gardens can do wonderful things for cities including improving storm water retention and promoting rich ecosystems. Additionally, community gardens are important in addressing food insecurity. According to the LA Food Bank, before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 5 people in LA county was facing food insecurity. As the pandemic has continued, increasing numbers of people have needed food assistance. Redondo Beach can take a step forward in addressing this grave issue and ensure that there are places, like the proposed community garden, to promote food security and ensure that people do not continue to go hungry. As a future health care provider who lived in Redondo Beach as a young person, I understand the significance of a Redondo Beach community garden. In addition to addressing food insecurity and reducing the number of individuals affected by hunger, a community garden would be crucial in teaching Redondo Beach kids about growing food and sustainability. These topics will enrich children's lives and teach them to be more responsible stewards of our planet. I have had the fortune to visit other cities and countries with community gardens and I have always been so impressed and moved by the way that community gardens are able to bring people together and build true community. Redondo Beach would be missing out significantly if it does not approve this one. Most importantly, I trust the vision of the community lead, Brianna Egan. As someone who attended school with Ms. Egan and has seen her passion for food justice and sustainability, I know that the idea of this community garden is one that was born out of a love of people, Redondo Beach, the planet, and humanity. I cannot imagine a better person to lead this project than Ms. Egan so I hope the the council approves the Redondo Beach community garden.
Since 2017, I have served as the President of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy and can speak to the integrity of our organization and our ability to support and enable the community members of Redondo Beach in their desire to establish a community garden.
We do not support political candidates or their campaigns. Allegations that state otherwise about SBPC are false. SBPC is an organization that supports residents on community initiatives that align with our mission to preserve open space for parkland. We provide a foundation that empowers and enables our residents to come together on the projects that matter most to them- like the RB community garden. People may move on to different cities, but the SBPC is focused over the long term to provide organizational support and resources. The SBPC community is not just for Redondo Beach, but for all of the South Bay. True to our charter as a non-profit, we will support our residents when it's time to make a stand for our parkland resources. We will rally behind sound projects that our community needs, and stand to oppose projects that favor urbanization over open space.
I believe that we have the right ingredients here to make sure that the garden is a success. But we need the City's support to make it happen. Collaboration is the key.
Erika Snow Robinson, Joan Irvine and Maggie Healy's conflicts of interest claims with Bill Brand, Nils Nehrenheim and Todd Loewenstein’s support of the South Bay Parkland Conservancy simply do not exist. There is NO impropriety between SBPC and the Mayor, or the Councilmembers they mention. Brand for Mayor 2017 did not receive ANY political campaign donations from SBPC. SBPC contributed separately to a lawsuit regarding protection of PARKLAND, the Seaside Lagoon, entirely consistent with their mission; hardly nefarious as Irvine and Healy imply.
Robinson, Irvine and Healy wrongfully postulate that Jim Light’s affiliation with SBPC is somehow a disqualification. Light placed his name on three citizen-led lawsuits against the City over a span of 12 years. All three times, the City thumbed their noses at Light and residents who accurately described deficiencies and problems, imploring the City to fix them. The City refused each time, leaving no course of action other than through the courts. The City lost and cost taxpayers due to their refusal to follow the law.
Apparently Robinson, Irvine, Healy and Elisabeth Diels lack the initiative and intelligence to read and comprehend court judgments, or ignore that evidence when it doesn’t fit their agendas to defame others. Additionally, how do they not know anyone can go to the IRS website to view 990 forms and request details for non-profits? Why are they not concerned about the City’s involvement and monetary support of non-profits NRBBA and Keep The Esplanade Beautiful, neither of which have complied with public requests for THEIR financials? We know why! It’s more of the smear and hate campaign they and a few others in the minority perpetuate against anything Brand and Light champion.
I support a Community Garden in Redondo Beach and am thankful for the joint efforts of the RBCG committee and the South Bay Parkland Conservancy to bring one or more such gardens to our Blue Zones-recognized City. Perhaps a Community Garden on the vacant, City-owned lot Ms. Robinson unlawfully used for a personal storage shed would be a fitting reminder of how to follow laws and not denegrate others in the process!
I write to support the establishment of a community garden in Redondo Beach. The LiveWell gardens that Beach Cities Health District established at our area elementary schools exemplify the vitality and health enhancements that gardens bring to our community. What I strenuously object to, is the City of Redondo Beach providing any funding to South Bay Parkland Conservancy for this or any other purpose. SBPC has used its tax exempt status to solicit and collect monies for various political purposes, including the political action committee, Rescue Our Waterfront, and has refused to respond to request for document production, including tax returns, which by law, they are required to do. There is also the issue of SBPC providing funding to Bill Brand’s mayoral campaign. The consideration or grant of funding to SBPC given the presence of Brand and his cronies on the SBPC board of directors and advisory board, is entirely inappropriate, and would be an expansion of an autocratic administration that is only working for its narrow interests and not the majority of Redondo Beach residents.
Arnette Travis
29-year resident
I support the idea of a community garden in Redondo Beach. Such a project would be a wonderful symbol of the health and vitality that we would all like to enjoy. But, let’s keep politics out of our community garden and make sure we have the right partner. The South Bay Parkland Conservancy does not comply with federal tax law and seems to ignore the rules governing non-profit organizations by engaging in political campaigns. This is not a good fit.
The South Bay Parkland Conservancy claims to be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. However, the SBPC has shared funds with Mayor Brand’s election campaign and it continues to solicit legal defense funds for the Rescue Our Waterfront political action committee. During the recent elections, SBPC provided website hosting to the reelection campaigns of Mayor Brand and other officials who've aligned themselves with ROW. Those officials should recuse themselves from discussing this item.
The SBPC is not an organization that can bring unity with this project. Its board members have a history of encouraging divisiveness in our community through negative attacks against City officials, staff, and other community organizations. They've launched suits against the City and its citizens, costing taxpayers millions of dollars, and they vilify and verbally assault residents who ask for accountability and transparency.
If the City ignored citizen requests for records like the SPBC does, you can be sure SBPC board members would be suing us again. It is outrageous that such an organization would now be asking residents to give them City land and resources.
Once again, I applaud the intentions of the good people who want to create a community garden and I would like to help them. However, the SBPC is the wrong organization to sponsor them. It would be irresponsible, not to mention damaging to our community, for the City Council to channel resources to an organization that fails to follow laws and regulations, that uses such resources for political purposes and whose leaders and advisors are known for spewing the negativity and division that has plagued our community for far too long.
Maggie Healy, Resident
While I agree in the idea of having a community garden which brings the residents together for a common good, I do not agree that now is the right time to move forward with the city funding this.
We have just experienced a decrease of almost 8 million dollars to our city budget, which lead to the deauthorization of 26 positions, 3 of which are sworn police officer positions. Before we think about putting money we don’t have toward a community garden, we need to put it toward safety and encouraging business which will in turn, bring in more revenue.
Also, when the city pursues community gardens, they need to partner with an organization that has been thoroughly vetted, and is not partnered with other political organizations which sue our city. Quoted from a post on Rescue Our Waterfront‘s FaceBook page, “Rescue Our Waterfront, Building a Better Redondo, and South Bay Parkland Conservancy partnered to pursue a lawsuit against the city of Redondo Beach...”. Why is the city considering partnering with an organization that sues the city?
I requested full financials of this 501c3 and have yet to receive full financials. Per IRS Code, “A political organization exempt from taxation under section 527(a) must make available for inspection and copying its report of contributions and expenditures on Form 8872...”, I requested these back in 2019, and have yet to receive them.
For these reasons, the city should not partner with SBPC now or in the future.
As a 28 year resident of District 5 in Redondo Beach, I am excited about the prospect of community gardens and specifically the project spearheaded by Ms.Eagan who has a genuine interest in improving her community. As a novice gardener, I would greatly appreciate the education and community spirit this would generate. I wholeheartedly support the proposal and urge our representatives to do the same.
Shouldn’t the Parkland Conservancy be donating money to the City for parks rather than asking for the City’s money?
And didn’t the State of California require Mayor Brand to return tens of millions of dollars in parkland grant money because the Mayor mislead the State and the Redondo Beach residents that Brand could purchase parkland?
Brand and his SBPC friends failed to deliver. Brand and the SBPC cannot be trusted with the management of City funds. A garden is great. So don’t allow SBPC to mess it up.
Pel McPherson
8 year Redondo Beach resident
How can an organization such as the South Bay Parkland Conservancy be trusted with our city money when they can't even report their annual finances. Over the past year, I have seen several people ask for this, which has been ignored. I am very concerned that they are a front for ulterior motives. Their website claims to be a 501c3 organization, but I have seen them endorsing candidates and measures over the past several years. I have personally checked, and this is not allowed by the IRS.
As recent as 2020, the SBPC made announcements and solicitations on behalf of a political organization, Rescue our Waterfront who is suing our city. Both of these groups have direct ties to Mayor Brand and Councilman Nehrenheim. They have also illegally led donors on the SBPC website to donate "tax-deductible" to help fight personal legal bills for them.
The South Bay Parkland Conservancy should have no ties with the City of Redondo Beach. It would likely put us in further legal issues down the line as they get exposed.
Denise Murray
8 Year Redondo Beach resident
To Whom this May Concern,
I was blown away to read that an organization, the South Bay Parkland Conservancy, would even be considered when partnering with the City of Redondo Beach. Its roots are clearly within a group that has continuously divided our community, led by Mayor Brand and direct ties to Todd Loewenstein and Nils Nehrenheim. This organization has disguised itself as a community group while secretly fundraising, donating, and coordinating campaign resources for these candidates and other self-serving causes.
This whole thing reminds me of the ongoing lawsuit against Brand and Nehrenheim claiming they had a controlling interest in Rescue our Waterfront. Similar to how Nehrenheim was a co-founder of ROW, Brand was the founder of SBPC. How can this be that much of a coincidence? Further, I see all the same people involved in both organizations.
I think it is clear; the South Bay Parkland Conservancy is using our city with their agents on the City Council pushing it through. I like the idea of a garden, but I think this is not the group to trust with it.
Janelle Brannen
18 Years Redondo Beach resident since 2003
Dear Community Friends,
In reading the proposal for a Community Garden, I was surprised to see a community group intertwined with several City Council members. The idea of a garden is great, but letting the South Bay Parkland Conservancy be involved in anything on any city property seems inappropriate.
For one, it was started and still advised by Mayor Brand, not to mention his wife serving on its board. It would be fine, except for the fact that this is supposed to be a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, but they have political undertones frequently. Not only is Mayor Brand's website owned by them, but it also appears to be in collusion with Councilman Nehrenheim, who runs the site through his "Computer Chief” business. This is a clear violation of IRS rules for this type of organization. Nonetheless, neither Mayor Brand nor Councilman Nehrenheim should be part of any discussion.
I would recommend City Staff and the City Attorney's office review any other ties to this organization before any further decisions are made. Donations to campaigns, website domain ownership, and meeting minutes for these organizations should be publically available, including historical changes that are tracked and available online. i.e., domain registrations do have a history, even if their current owner has changed. Likewise, meeting minutes should be provided on request to conduct business with the city, even if they are not publicly accessible.
Patricia Jones
20 Year Redondo resident
The South Bay Parkland Conservancy has a history in politics for Redondo Beach and other cities. Over the past couple of decades, we have seen this organization formed and created through a group of people involved in Rescue our Waterfront, Building a Better Redondo and NoPowerPlant, Save the Riviera, and more. They have continuously crossed the lines between advocacy of candidates, policies while under the guise of protecting our environment. Doing some very rudimentary searches, I was able to see all of the same people involved in each.
Ironically, this group formed by Mayor Brand is now asking for his support to use city funds to create a garden? That seems to be in direct conflict with what our council should be looking at. The same people involved have successfully sued the city for millions of dollars. They have taken the will of the people through Measure G and twisted it to now have a detriment to our waterfront's future, blocking any reasonable project through Measure C. They also promised to rid our waterfront of a powerplant for over twenty years, and we are no closer now than we were then.
It is a shame that such a great idea can be scarred by such a fake organization. I highly discourage the city council from working with this group. They have already cost our city millions and millions of dollars for their agenda. Let's not hand them another dime.
Janine Lulich
20+ Years Redondo Beach resident
Community Garden, YES! Partnering with an organization that raises money to sue the City? That’s a hard, NO!!
This organization has lurked around the fringes of our city for decades, only to rear their heads every election year, asking for (tax deductible!) donations (all in the name if parks, of course!) then turns around and supports political candidates (in violation of their 501(c)3 status). Most recent example, SBPC “hosted” (paid for) campaign websites for the election that just happened this month! That’s a conflict of interest, if I’ve ever seen one. Quid pro quo?? SBPC monetarily supports the mayor and councilman’s campaign - then the elected’s bring a request to the council to fund their group with our tax dollars!
While I’m sure there are some good folks that have recently gotten tangled up with this “organization” (bless their hearts) in the interest of parks... the core group are politically motivated. One of the founders has sued our city (more than once!) and the mayor’s wife is currently on their Board. Cronyism at its finest!
Before one dime of our tax dollars are handed over to any organization, the city should be required to thoroughly vet the group. A complete and transparent accounting (regardless of the IRS annual receipt thresholds) of their entire financial backing from inception should be available for the taxpayers to review. Resident’s have been asking for financial transparency from the Parkland Conservancy for over two years. An organization who refuses to be transparent and present their financial dealings has much to hide.
Community Garden, YES! Financially partnering with SBPC, double hockey sticks, NO!!
Elisabeth Diels
21 year Redondo Beach resident
I support a Community Garden, but not with South Bay Parkland Conservancy (SBPC).
To safeguard our city from any optics/actuality of impropriety and potential conflict of interest, I strongly recommend that Mayor Brand recuse himself from any discussion and decision on this agenda item:
• Brand was a Co-Founder of the SBPC and currently on its Advisory Board.
• The Mayor’s wife is a Board Member.
• Bill Brand for Mayor 2017 received $4270 from the SBPC, a 501 c 3, a charitable non-profit. According to the IRS “Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or INDIRECTLY participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.
• SBPC owns BillBrand.org domain.
The Rescue Our Waterfront (ROW), a Political Action Committee (PAC) domain’s Registration Service is provided by: The Computer Chief. This is D1 CC member Nils Nehrenheim’s company. Therefore, Nils is in Conflict of Interest, too.
I have a concern about SBPC and its seeming inability to comply with the IRS regulations which jeopardizes their 501 c 3 status. Also, there is the optics of collusion between Brand, Jim Light Build a Better Redondo (BBR), and (ROW) because of the following:
• Light is the Secretary of the Board of SBPC. Light is head of BBR.
• Dawn Esser listed as ROW is on the SBPC Advisory Committee
• SBPC accepted tax deductible donations for ROW – a MAJOR violation of its 501 c 3 statis.
This is how cities get into trouble – potential misappropriation of funds and unchecked Conflicts of Interest. I ask the City engage an independent investigator or ask the IRS to research the seeming collusion among SBPC, BBR, and ROW. She may find that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what’s been going on in Redondo for the last decade.
I feel bad for SBPC. It has an honorable mission, was established with good intentions, and has dedicated volunteers. But sadly, some of its Board seem to have failed in their fiduciary duties and allowed it to be exploited for political and financial gains.
Joan Irvine
District 1
A community garden is a no brainer. A great investment with major dividends. Community is the key word. Socialization, create relationships with neighbors, physical and mental health benefits- and we haven’t even gotten to the fresh, healthy food part yet! Let’s do this! Thank you.
I am in full support of a community garden in the City of Redondo Beach. I have had the pleasure of watching how much the Hermosa community garden has been bringing neighbors together for years. Hermosa has strategically placed their garden at a park, where all generations can enjoy it. I love that the little Hermosa garden has gathered hundreds of pounds of donated produce to donate to local food pantries and families in need. It is such thoughtful gesture that Redondo can learn from. Considering that Redondo is a densely packed community, we should relish in the opportunities for small areas of open space where a community garden can thrive. Please take this time to consider a community garden for our city. Candace Nafissi, Resident for over a decade.
As a gardener, a mother, and a 16-year resident of North Redondo Beach, I am thrilled that the City is considering installing a community garden.
Thanks to the Beach Cities Health District, every elementary school in Redondo Beach has a LiveWell Kids garden, where children get to enjoy working in the garden while learning the basics of what it takes to grow your own food. As a garden docent at Washington Elementary, I have witnessed many times the calming effect that being in the garden has on young children. And as a mother, I am lucky to have a yard large enough, with enough sunlight, to enjoy gardening with my young daughter at home. But clearly, this is a luxury that many Redondo Beach residents simply do not have.
It’s time to give the people of Redondo a place where they can bring their kids - or not - to plant a garden if they don’t have the space for it at home.
We need a community garden in Redondo Beach. For a city that is so widespread, having community centered activities that promote unity within the city is needed. The disconnection between the different neighborhoods could be addressed with such a simple intervention.
I am in full support of a community garden in Redondo Beach and believe South Bay Parkland Conservancy has proven a valuable ally for the City to work with in support of this goal. The number of volunteer hours in places like Wilderness Park and cooperation with other civic groups have shown they are a committed and reliable partner.