Redondo Beach council orders rewrite of hedge rules after months of neighbor complaints

Mayor Light and the City Council on Tuesday directed city staff to draft changes to Redondo Beach'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' hedge-related municipal code after a lengthy public discussion about privacy, safety and alleged misuse of the complaint process.

City Attorney Joy Ford opened the discussion and asked staff to propose a set of clarifying changes. "We are here for discussion on possible amendments to our hedge ordinance," Ford said at the start of the item. Staff recommended three principal changes: add clear definitions for "hedge," "fence or wall," "height" and "vegetation"; reclassify height-only violations so they would generally be an infraction — rather than the current strict misdemeanor — but could escalate if left uncorrected; and adopt a "bona fide complainant" standard limiting height-only complaints to people demonstrably affected by the vegetation.

Cole Webb, a legal intern who presented the staff report, told the council that code enforcement received an influx of height complaints beginning in December 2025 and that the lack of a hedge definition has led to disputes about whether vegetation should be regulated as a tree or a hedge. "Staff would recommend adding definitions for fence or wall, hedge, height, and vegetation to the municipal code," Webb said.

Council members — including Barrett and Obagi, who co-authored suggested revisions with staff participation — expressed broad support for clearer rules and more limited complaint standing while preserving the city's ability to act on urgent safety threats. "We want everybody to adhere to the standards," City Manager Witzansky told the council, describing the proposed approach as a way to set consistent objective standards without relying solely on ad hoc complaints.

The council debated two disputed implementation details: how to measure hedge height where a property sits above or below the adjacent sidewalk, and whether to add an Administrative Design Review (ADR) process to permit some nonconforming hedges. Several council members favored defining height as measured from the higher of the two grades (sidewalk or finished property grade) so that properties below sidewalk grade do not effectively lose all screening. Councilmember Waller advocated measuring "from the taller of the two grades," and staff agreed to draft language to that effect.

On ADR, council members worried about staffing, cost and creating an adversarial process. Staff said an ADR might be feasible but asked for further study on objective standards and cost recovery. Councilmember Barrett said he favored pausing the ADR proposal for now and focusing on the other reforms.

Residents who testified detailed the local impacts that prompted the review. "My neighbor has grown massive bamboo that hangs over our garage and leaves rubbish that's impossible to remove," said Cindy Genova, who with her husband urged the council to adopt an enforceable standard. Miles Burkhart, who described a sight-line complaint he said was mishandled, urged an audit of code-enforcement training.

After public comment and discussion, Councilmember Barrett moved that staff, including the city attorney's office, pursue a revised hedge ordinance following staff recommendations with council refinements: keep the 42-inch front-yard standard; exclude the 24-inch HVO change for now; study but not immediately adopt ADR; require a bona fide-complainant standard; and clarify the method for measuring height. The motion passed unanimously.

What'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' next steps: staff will draft ordinance language and return with options and cost estimates on ADR feasibility, a clarified height definition, and penalty language that preserves enforcement discretion for safety-related nuisances. Councilmembers Barrett and Obagi will serve as a council working pair to consult with staff as the code changes are developed.