Commissioners recommend council consider renaming park for veteran Joseph Carl Dawidziac

The Redondo Beach Public Amenities Commission voted to recommend that the City Council rename a park in honor of Joseph Carl Dawidziac.

The recommendation — moved and seconded during the commission meeting and approved with four votes in favor and one abstention — asks the City Council to consider formal recognition of Dawidziac’s military and civic service and to work with staff and the family on next steps.

Commissioners discussed whether to specify a particular park in their recommendation or leave the selection and family notification to the City Council and city staff. Several commissioners said they supported recognizing Dawidziac but preferred that staff and council determine which park or other form of recognition (bench, plaque, Veterans Park, or a parkette) would be most appropriate for the family and for the community.

Resident Kyle Prich, who addressed the commission during public comment, urged the panel to move forward with a recommendation and to preserve Dawidziac’s story in public space. “If we don’t tell Joe’s story, we missed the opportunity to tell a story of a true hero,” Prich said, citing Dawidziac’s lengthy military service and local civic contributions.

Commissioners noted background material in the meeting packet that describes Dawidziac’s military honors, council service and local involvement, and they flagged two small parkettes (the Eaton parkettes, at Huntington and Harriman) discussed in the packet as possible sites mentioned during the meeting. Commissioners also said the family had not yet been notified of the recommendation and recommended that staff contact the family before the Council determines a final action.

The motion directs staff to communicate the commission’s recommendation to the City Council and to follow up with the family; one commissioner volunteered to represent the commission and speak to the council when the item is calendared. No specific timetable for the council’s consideration was set during the meeting.

The commission’s action was advisory: the City Council holds final authority to approve any park renaming, select a specific park or alternative form of recognition, and to conduct any required outreach or approval process.