Meet Jim Light: Candidate For Redondo Beach Mayor

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Current Redondo Beach Mayor Jim Light is running for reelection in the city's general election on March 4.

Light was appointed Mayor by the Redondo Beach City Council on Feb. 20, 2024 to serve the remainder of Mayor Bill Brand's term after he passed away. Light has held many public offices including in the Citizens’ Growth Management and Traffic Committee, Harbor Commission and General Plan Advisory Committee.

Learn more about Light and his goals for Redondo Beach:

Age (as of Election day)

65

Campaign website

https://jimlightformayor.com/

Education

Penn State – Aerospace Engineering on a USAF ROTC scholarship

• Chapman University – MBA - focused on leadership and strategy
• University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources – California Naturalist Certification
• USAF – Training on leadership, CEQA/NEPA, acquisition, and contract/project management

Why are you seeking this office?

I have been fighting for resident Quality of Life and the character of our city for 24 years. After being appointed Mayor, I gained insight I could not have known before. The city is at a very critical time in its history. So much is going on that City staff is overburdened.

There are once in a lifetime opportunities and threats lining up. I have the time and the experience to help staff and the Council navigate this critical time. After 24 years of dedication and commitment, I care too much about the city to simply step down and walk away now.

What is the most pressing issue that Redondo Beach faces in your opinion, and what do you intend to do about it if elected?

REVITALIZING WITHOUT OVERDEVELOPMENT - The most pressing issue facing the City and its residents today is revitalizing without overdevelopment. We have finally turned the corner after two decades of stagnation and have gained momentum in revitalization, but there are major threats to overcome as well. State mandates are threatening the fiscal sustainability of the city. Overdevelopment of housing overlayed on top of our business districts is net negative for our General Fund.

Revitalization of our harbor and other business districts without overdevelopment is critical to the budget as well. On top of that, we have the opportunity or threat presented by the bankruptcy proceedings on the AES property. The developer wants to put in 2700 condos, plus commercial development.

I support the statewide initiative by Our Neighborhood Voices to stop the state housing mandates, but after four years, they’ve yet to be able to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. I am working with state legislators on a bill that would exempt housing abundant cities like Redondo from the mandates based on objective criteria demonstrating density and diversity of housing. On the AES site, I have been working with two non-profits to document the wetlands on the site and since being Mayor I have been participating in discussions and strategies related to the bankruptcy case. That is one of the reasons our current City Attorney is endorsing me.

As to broader revitalization without overdevelopment – as a Harbor Commissioner I participated in the drafting of the Harbor Amenities Plan. Former Mayor Brand always intended to develop a commercial strategy that would dovetail with the Amenities Plan, but his illness prevented him from accomplishing that objective. When I became Mayor, rather than waste the time and money for a consultant, I drafted a commercial plan for the harbor and pier based on my 20 years of participation in public workshops and meetings on the area. That plan has been through the Harbor Commission, who heartily endorsed it with recommendations for minor changes. It will be coming to the City Council next. The plan would make up for the loss of Joe’s crab shack and the
former Samba’s and add about 75,000 square feet of commercial space plus a hotel on Pier Plaza.

In other areas of the City, I support the Aviation and Artesia Corridors Area Plan (AACAP) and intend to ensure it is incorporated into our General Plan update and then executed once it is official. I will ensure the Cultural Arts Commission prioritizes the art program and monies targeted for Artesia Blvd. In parallel, I will advocate for a similar corridor plan on the PCH corridor. I will support and continue the efforts of the City to expand city parking along Artesia and in Riviera Village, as parking is one of the impediments to the long-term health of these business districts.

Under a previous City Manager, the harbor department and economic development department were consolidated into the Waterfront and Economic Development Department, but it was cut to three staff (actually to two staff for a while) and with all the projects in the harbor none of the staff have time to dedicate to economic development elsewhere in the city. I will push to ensure that with a fourth person being added now, that at least one employee is dedicated to retaining key current businesses and attracting businesses that will buoy up other businesses and increase city revenues.

Finally, since becoming Mayor, I have found that due to attrition city staff has lost strong acquisition, contracts, and project management expertise. These skills are critical to efficiently, effectively, and expeditiously moving all our critical city projects forward. I have worked with the City Manager to ensure that as we fill current vacancies, the City targets candidates who are strong in these areas. Also, I am working with the City Manager and Pepperdine to create a custom training curriculum for our existing staff in these critical areas. This is a win-win. The City executes revitalization more quickly and staff build their resumes for future growth.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates?

• My education and career experience that are value added in the role of an active Mayor. I am experienced at government budgets, contract management, project management, and acquisition processes and documentation. I have already demonstrated this value in City Hall. For example, I recently drafted a Request for Proposal for the Coastal Commission mandated Boat Ramp design. The City used over 90% of my draft and the contract has been awarded already. This was critical because the Coastal Commission will not approve other harbor or pier projects unless the boat ramp is funded and ready for construction.

• The fact that I am retired means I can dedicate the time necessary to engage with and augment city staff and to meet with officials from outside the city and actually accelerate revitalization efforts. I have already demonstrated this… since being appointed Mayor, I have been in City Hall almost every day it is open and even some days when it is closed.
• My 24-year commitment to preserving and enhancing our quality of life… from the 2002 Heart of the City, to Measure DD, to Measure C, to the projects of South Bay Parkland Conservancy, to serving on Commissions and Committees…. No other candidate has been more active and more impactful for as long as I have.

What issues are close to your heart and how will you address them if elected?

• After two decades of stagnation, the City is finally gaining momentum in revitalization. This is the chance to restore Redondo as the crown jewel of the South Bay. We can do this without overdevelopment. And we must do this tonsure fiscal sustainability. I already outlined the main elements of my approach to accomplish this objective.

• Our community is fortunate to have an incredibly strong Fire and Police Department. Our departments both are models for other cities. We enjoy excellent response times and response quality. We have invested in technology and tools that are force multipliers in the job they do for us. But we need to keep up the investment in tools, tech and training while we also need to execute well on replacing and upgrading their facilities through Measure FP bond funds. I have already been working with our City Manager to ensure we hire a qualified project manager as the single belly button in the city responsible for focusing on and integrating these projects expediently, efficiently, and effectively. I will also ensure that City budgets invest to take advantage of technology to enhance the ability of our dedicated first responders.

What is the best advice anyone has ever shared with you?

In first grade, my teacher was trying to prop up a cardboard mounted poster for a lesson. The wind kept blowing it down. I kept getting up and wedging it back up with blackboard erasers and other nearby objects. She singled me out and said, “Never say die to Jimi!”

That simple phrase has stayed with me ever since. That statement is behind my 24-year fight to preserve and enhance our quality of life and character of the city through the wins and losses.

We simply do not value the impact of our educators and mentors enough. I have other examples of the impacts of teachers and mentors, but this one was foundational to everything after. That is why I am so committed to including students in our city government and partnering with our great school district..

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I think it telling that the two Councilmembers who voted against my appointment to Mayor are now endorsing me. Similarly, the Councilmember who questioned if I were going to run for Mayor is also endorsing my run for Mayor. City Attorney Mike Webb and I were on the opposite side of two lawsuits. After working with Mike the past year, he has endorsed me. I believe my dedication to the position; my accomplishments during the past 11 months; my balanced and respectful approach to working with the Council, with City staff, and those with different perspectives on issues; and my application of my training and professional experience to moving issues and project forward have won over many who were skeptical of how I would operate as Mayor.