Good evening Councilmembers,
Thirteen years ago, the City approved my landscape plan, and I planted exactly the trees the City authorized. Today, I am facing misdemeanor criminal charges and potential jail-time—not because the trees are unsafe, but because the City is stretching a vague ordinance that was never written for trees.
To comply, I trimmed and removed branches—it took five weeks just to dispose of one branch. After the storms, the trees leafed out like any healthy tree. Arborists refuse to cut them to six feet because doing so would kill them, leaving large dead stumps. Yet despite all remediation, the City claimed it “wasn’t good enough,” because the law is so unclear it depends entirely on one person’s subjective, arbitrary interpretation, not anything written specifically in the Municipal Code.
The neighbor who originally called only wanted a light trim off the top. After learning the City wanted them cut down to six‑foot, he did not withdraw his complaint—but instead wrote me a letter saying he loves the trees. Today, every adjacent neighbor has put in writing that they want the trees kept for shade, privacy, comfort, and sound insulation.
And this ties to a larger issue: Redondo Beach has changed. Over the last 50 years, the City has approved denser development, with homes often only 10 feet apart. A six‑foot wall provides no privacy in today’s neighborhoods. People rely on trees because the City created density—yet the tree and landscaping laws have not been updated to match the reality the City itself approved.
At the same time, at least six new $2.8‑million homes in my neighborhood were recently approved with the same style of trees. City inspectors signed off on those landscaping plans—meaning they’re City‑approved. In six to eight years, those homeowners will be blindsided by this same vague ordinance unless you fix it now.
Residents planting trees should not be prosecuted—they should be commended. You, as the City Council, have the power to update or remove this outdated ordinance so no one else ends up in criminal court for planting City‑approved trees.
I’ve created GreenRedondo.com, where residents can learn more and sign a petition. I want community‑driven reform—not an unfortunate situation where thousands of homes that would technically be in violation end up reported under a vague law affecting every district.
Councilmembers, you have the authority to make this right. Please fix this now.
Thank you.
