South Bay Echo for Oct 7
Redondo looks at pot shops, eviction ban partially extended, Rocktoberfest coming soon and lightning photos
Hello friends… Welcome to the sixth edition of South Bay Echo, your source of local hometown news with a real estate angle. For more on what this is all about please read my welcome post here.
This Substack is brought to you by Rosetree Real Estate, a full service real estate brokerage dealing in residential and commercial properties to both own and lease. We offer referral fees too! For more information visit RosetreeRealEstate.com. DRE# 02145024
Redondo wrings hands over cannabis
The Redondo Beach City Council discussed this week whether to finally allow one or two cannabis dispensaries. At this point, the city can either allow retail storefronts or risk having them imposed on the city through a proposed ballot measure set for the November 2022 election.
The ballot initiative, submitted in July but still requiring signatures, would allow up to three dispensaries in the city, basically one per 22,000 people. A spokesperson for the group, Barry Walker, told the Easy Reader newspaper, they targeted Redondo for its overwhelming support of Prop 64 (Adult Use of Marijuana Act in 2016) at roughly 65%. Walker also owns TradeCraft Farms, an LA dispensary, and a Riviera Village pop-up called Cozy Nomad Designs.
It was under this backdrop on Tuesday, Oct. 5, that the City Council received a steering committee report commissioned 18 months ago with recommendations. The committee ultimately advised the council to allow for the cultivation, manufacture and distribution of marijuana while increasing buffer zones from high schools and junior highs to 1500 feet as opposed to the state mandated 600 feet. You can read more in the city staff report.
The absurdity of this whole discussion is that an illegal dispensary has been operating as a church in Redondo Beach on Artesia boulevard for years now with virtually no effect to the nearby residents. In fact, most people don’t even know it’s there. The city shut down one retail store on Aviation Boulevard after neighbor complaints about traffic and loitering, but another still remains. So as the City Council wrings its hands over minutiae such as whether to allow deliveries as early as 6 a.m. (which they can’t control anyway) there’s already cannabis sales occurring in the city and it’s hurting nobody.
I think this is one of those times where the government needs to step aside. Cannabis is far less harmful than alcohol and yet liquor stores are allowed to be virtually everywhere. Redondo Beach voters have shown they are progressive. It’s time the city government follows suit.
This housing and real estate report is brought to you by Rosetree Real Estate. And don’t forget. For every buyer or seller you refer, you could earn up to 20% on our commission. Learn more at RosetreeRealEstate.com.
County extends partial eviction ban
There was quite a bit of action last week related to the end of the statewide eviction moratorium and some local moves that extended certain protections. If you weren’t paying close attention, I forgive you as this was some confusing stuff. Here’s a quick breakdown:
The statewide eviction moratorium expired at midnight Sept. 30, however both the county and city of Los Angeles extended their own moratoriums.
LA County Supervisors acknowledged in their deliberations last week they lacked authority to fully extend the eviction moratorium for residential tenants but that didn’t seem to stop the city of LA from extending protections to both residential and commercial tenants for another year.
The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles, which is suing the county over its original moratorium, continued to oppose the measure.
Bottom line is that residential tenants in LA County must now start paying rent or face eviction. But there are still some protections and money in place to bail out those with low incomes. For commercial tenants in LA County, the eviction ban was extended another year. For those looking for rental assistance click here for statewide help and here for county.
For more on what this means for tenants and landlords visit Kendalllaw.net.
If you are facing an eviction, consider letting Rosetree Real Estate help to renegotiate your lease. Our broker George Ross has more than 30 years of experience working with commercial tenants. You can reach us at 310-529-8790.
Rocktoberfest Oct 15-17
Don’t forget to buy your tickets soon for Rocktoberfest next weekend at Seaside Lagoon. This is the answer to the long lost Lobsterfest that ended a few years ago. Rocktoberfest is a three-day festival featuring top notch cover bands along with creole food from Rajin Cajun. Buy tickets at Rocktoberfestivals.com.
Lightning photos by Richard Podgurski
While many of us were watching the marvelous rain and lightning show from our comfortable homes on Monday, photographer Richard Podgurski Jr. was doing what he does best, which is capturing amazing scenes of the place we call home. Richard snapped some jaw dropping lightning strike photos, which are now available for purchase in an art collector quality print and frame. To buy a print or see more of Richard’s work visit RP-Photography.com/shop.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and see you next week.
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Care to do a feature in Healthcare workers portraits in the south bay?