Redondo Beach was at the forefront of destroying the coastline, and in many ways, still is.
Little-known fact: Redondo Beach was one of the reasons why the Coastal Commission was created. These buildings -residential housing with NO affordable housing- were being built directly next to the beach.
- Do you see any access to the beach?
- Can you even see the beach from the land side?
- Parking? -Ohh, it’s all metered parking, never mind.
Proposition 20 was voted on by California residents and passed in 1972. It wasn’t supposed to pass; every single newspaper, State Legislator, and Governor Jerry Brown, yes, that Jerry Brown, were against it. So were all of the developers.
Except, it passed, overwhelmingly. Because of…. college kids! The proposition passed purely because of a massive grassroots movement across the State of California. Think about that: phone trees, postcards, mailers, house parties, and flyers being printed and hand-shared. That’s how they won against a massive conglomerate of deep pockets.
We can do the same.
The second image shows the second-largest residential building in the South Bay in Los Angeles. For those who don’t know, that’s over 100 square miles and over 1 million residents. Along our coastline, impeding access to the coast, no parking, no access, no view of the ocean. That’s what we are going back to with today’s new state laws.
The images below are all from the rapid upzoning along the coastline in Redondo Beach, right before the Coastal Commission came to power.
- Access to the coastline? None. Walk 1/2 a mile to the closest access point.
- Free parking? None. -Metered parking only. Resident passes
- Views of the ocean? None. -Only for the residents who live in the high rises.
But you can help. Donate, subscribe, like, share, donate!
