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Redondo Beach Council approves one-year SRO extension after debate over cost-sharing
Summary
City Council approved a one-year extension to the memorandum of understanding with the school district to continue school resource officers (SROs), after heated debate over cost-sharing and the contract language about an "additional" officer.
The Redondo Beach City Council on June 10 approved an amended memorandum of understanding to continue providing school resource officers at local campuses, adopting a one-year extension that leaves the district-city cost-sharing arrangement in place for the coming school year.
Councilmember Kelly Obagi moved to limit the agreement to a one-year term and to have the city manager (or mayor) finalize non-substantive wording changes; the motion passed unanimously. Staff said the amendment keeps the existing $100,000 annual district contribution while allowing the city and police department to determine deployment.
Why it matters: Council members said the city is carrying a growing set of responsibilities for services that benefit the school district, including crossing guards and SROs, and they pressed for a shorter term so the district would revisit its contribution next year. Some members said they support the officers for safety reasons but want to avoid long-term unfunded commitments.
Councilmember Kelly Obagi, who brought the amendment, said during debate: “What you've heard me say many times before here is that we're on an unsustainable path with the provision of services ... so what I'd like ... either I'm gonna vote no on this or I'm willing to vote for it with an amendment. The amendment being we shorten it to one year so that we come back to the table.”
Police and staff said the school district had already approved the substance of the proposed extension and that the city’s requested clarifying edits would have to be reapproved by the district. Assistant City Manager Luke Smooty and police staff told the council the program typically resumes at the start of the school year and that any contractual changes would need district concurrence.
Councilmember Waller urged caution about altering language that could be read as reducing the number of officers the district expects: “The understanding was that the city had been providing the one officer, and the extra $100,000 was to ensure there were two officers at all times ... if they read this and think that we're trying to turn it back down to one officer ... I can pretty much guarantee that they would take that as an adversarial amendment and not sign it.”
Outcome and next steps: The council approved the amendment limiting the term to June 30, 2026, and authorized city leadership to finalize wording clarifications with the school district so the district can reapprove the modified agreement. Staff said they expect the district to execute an amended MOU before the new school year, but if the district declines the wording changes, the council will reconsider.
Votes at a glance: The motion to adopt the amended MOU (one-year term ending 06/30/2026, language clarifications) passed unanimously.
