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Council asks staff to study church‑based options and security steps after complaints about library crowding during storms
Summary
After parent complaints about unhoused people sheltering at the downtown library during bad weather, council directed staff to study limited, non‑publicized church‑based inclement‑weather shelter options and to return with cost estimates for security and a budget‑response report.
Citing parent complaints about unhoused people congregating in the downtown library during inclement weather, the Redondo Beach City Council asked staff to study limited inclement‑weather shelter options and to bring back cost estimates and a budget‑response report.
Mayor Jim Light had raised the issue after voters and library users described people sheltering in the lobby and outside the library during recent storms. City Attorney Mike Webb, Community Services Director Elizabeth House and Library Director Dean Vink described the practical and legal limits: library staff and security can enforce rules of conduct and may suspend library privileges for violations, but they cannot lawfully force people to leave a public library or other public building unless specific conduct violates law or policy.
Staff said two local churches — First United and St. Andrews — had signaled willingness to discuss limited inclement‑weather use of their meeting rooms as an incentive for people to avoid sleeping in the library; staff recommended keeping any such program small and not broadly advertised to avoid creating a regional magnet. Housing navigators and contracted security options could support such an effort. Councilmembers expressed concerns about the risk of creating a magnet, potential county expectations, and long‑term costs for food, supervision and portable services.
The council unanimously directed staff to return at a later date (after new council members are seated) with: a budget‑response report on expected costs (security, staffing, food and transportation), a legal review of potential agreements with faith‑based partners, and recommendations on sign‑up, eligibility and safeguards to avoid unintended consequences. Council members stressed that any pilot should include clear exit and shut‑down terms and should not become a magnet that draws unhoused people from other jurisdictions.
Library Director Dean Vink and the housing navigator said the library remains committed to enforcing rules and connecting people to permanent housing services; councilmembers and commenters praised the city’s pallet shelter and other programs while urging caution on any new short‑term arrangements.
