The biggest scheduled item — the Solid Waste rate Prop 218 hearingProposition 218 (1996) requires California cities to mail notice to every affected property owner before adjusting utility rates, then hold a public hearing where majority-protest can block the change. — was set seven weeks ago, in March. If you're a property owner, you'll have received a mailed notice already. This is the night to speak, write, or attend if you have an opinion about your trash bill.
Items to watch
Public Hearing on FY 2026-27 Solid Waste Rates
This is the hearing Council set in motion at the March 17 meeting (Item H.10 of that agenda). Tonight Council will: open the public hearing, receive testimony, close the hearing, deliberate, and either approve the rate adjustment or determine that majority-protest has prevailed.
Property owners who want to formally protest must file in writing — verbal public comment alone does not count toward the majority-protest tabulation under Prop 218. The City Clerk's office will tabulate.
Why it mattersThe City contracts trash collection to Athens Services. Rates follow a formula in the services agreement, and Prop 218 forces a public hearing before any rate adjustment can take effect. A majority-protest from property owners can block the rate increase — but the bar is high (more than 50% of affected parcels must file written protest).
FY 2026-27 Budget Framing & Cost-Savings Direction
At the March 17 mid-year review, Council asked staff to develop specific cost-savings strategies for FY 2026-27. Expect those to surface tonight as discussion items or — more likely — as referenced items in the City Manager's transmittal memo.
Background: the FY 2025-26 budget closed with a $3.5M structural deficit, balanced by a draw from the CalPERS Reserve Fund. The underlying pension obligation (UAL) is the dominant structural issue. The FY 2026-27 conversation will revolve around what mix of new revenue, cost cuts, and continued reserve draws gets used to bridge the same gap a second year.
Why it mattersFY 2026-27 starts July 1, 2026 — six weeks after this meeting. The City Manager's proposed budget is due by mid-May per the Charter; Council will spend June refining and adopting it. May is the last meeting where Council can shape the proposal at the framing level before the formal hearings begin.
Consent Calendar — bundled routine items
Expect the usual mix: payroll demands, accounts payable, contract awards under $35K (often three-to-six small agreements bundled), minor agency renewals, and any letters of support Council is authorizing the Mayor to sign. The full list will publish Saturday May 16 when the agenda goes live on Legistar.
Why it mattersConsent is where most of the dollar volume of a Council meeting actually flows. Any item can be pulled by a Council member or a member of the public for separate discussion — that's the moment to speak if a specific contract or appropriation matters to you.
Closed Session (anticipated)
Carrying over from prior meetings, expect Closed Session items covering the Koyanagi litigation, ongoing Marina parking-lot negotiations (the BeachLife / Nike / Water Polo group of items), the Redondo Beach Unified School District land-use discussion across seven parcels, and Part-Time Employees labor negotiations. None of these are resolved publicly until announcements are made under Item I after Closed Session.
What's not on the agenda
A few items readers have asked about that won't show up tonight: the AES Power Plant site (in litigation through the courts, not Council), the South Bay Galleria Phase 2 (already approved by Planning Commission, not back to Council unless appealed), and the Housing Element rewrite (Council won't take that up until the State Supreme Court appeal resolves).
This Preview is published the day after the agenda was expected to post — final agenda items may differ. We'll publish the Recap Wednesday morning.