The three incumbent Redondo Beach City Council members were leading in their efforts to remain on the panel, based on Tuesday night’s returns.
District 1 Councilman Nils Nehrenheim and District 2 Councilman Todd Loewenstein both had healthy leads in the Tuesday, March 2, election, while District 4 Councilman John Gran had a slightly smaller margin.
The election was done via mail, with a few drop boxes scattered throughout the city, rather than having folks go to the polls amid the coronavirus pandemic. City Clerk Eleanor Manzano said Tuesday afternoon that there would be a couple of thousand votes potentially outstanding, because ballots have until Friday to arrive, as long as they were postmarked by election day.
Here’s a breakdown of the races.
District 1
Nehrenheim had about 65% of the vote compared to his opponent and Redondo Beach school board member Brad Waller, who had 35%
District 1 covers the southernmost part of Redondo Beach, where the Esplanade is, bordered by the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Nehrenheim, a 43-year-old small-business owner and county lifeguard, has lived in South Redondo Beach for 14 years. He spearheaded the garden parklet program in the Riviera Village to support businesses during the pandemic, Nehrenheim said, and he plans to lobby the Coastal Commission to make those outdoor dining areas permanent.
Waller, 57, has lived in the city for more than 34 years and is currently a Redondo Beach Unified school board member. He also runs a mobile app and website development company in the city’s Riviera Village. He said the city needs to support and retain local businesses by improving the waterfront, which would increase sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenue, which could then create pension funds.
District 2
In this district, two challengers — Erika Snow Robinson, Paul David Moses — campaigned to topple Loewenstein.
But Loewnstein had 69% of the vote. Robinson had 22% and Moses had about 9%
District 2 is home to Redondo Beach’s pier and King Harbor Marina, as well as Redondo Union High School.
Loewenstein, 54, has lived in District 2 for 14 of his 22 years in Redondo Beach. He works in sales and development for African internet provider AFR-IX Telecom.
Moses, a 55-year-old property manager, has lived in District 2 for 24 of his 30 years in Redondo Beach. He helped create the city’s public art ordinance and commission and in 2016 was appointed to the city’s General Plan Update Committee. Moses said his top priority would be economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Robinson, 50, is an artist who also leads a Long Beach real estate firm. She’s lived in Redondo Beach’s District 2 since 2003. She said she plans to build a business-friendly reputation for the city and make sure Redondo Beach can afford to keep city services local.
District 4
Gran was leading his District 4 opponent, Zein Obagi Jr., 54% to about 46%. Obagi is an employment attorney who moved to District 4 in 2018.
District 4 covers the smallest area of the city’s districts, containing the South Bay Galleria mall; it is bordered by Artesia Boulevard to the north and Hawthorne Boulevard to the east.
Gran said he is looking to continue his efforts to turn Artesia Boulevard into a “living street,” extending the city’s bike paths and introduce recycled water.
Obagi, meanwhile, said he wants to work to draw more businesses to North Redondo Beach and bring a consistent, pedestrian friendly vibe to Pacific Coast Highway and Artesia and Aviation boulevards.
