Redondo Beach (Redondo, Spanish for ) is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located in the South Bay region of the Greater Los Angeles area. It is one of three adjacent beach cities along the southern portion of Santa Monica Bay. The population was 71,576 at the 2020 census, up from 66,748 in 2010.

Redondo Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant that later became the South Redondo area. The primary attractions include Municipal Pier and the sandy beach, popular with tourists and a variety of sports enthusiasts. The Southern terminus of the Metro Rail K Line (formerly the Western Terminus of the Metro Rail C Line) is in North Redondo Beach.

History

The South Bay area was originally inhabited by the Tongva tribe of Native Americans. Archeological work in the nearby Chowigna excavation show evidence of inhabitants as far back as 7,100 years ago. The Chowigna band of Tongva used the site of today's Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach (formerly Nike missile site LA-57 from 1956 to 1963) as a lookout place. The wetlands located at the site of the retired AES power plant in Redondo Beach were a source of foods including halibut, lobster, and sea bass, and also of salt.

The Tongva village of Ongovanga or Onoova-nga, meaning "Place of Salt," was located near a salt lake the old Redondo Salt Lake, "a spring-fed salt lake about wide and long situated about 200 yards from the ocean". Up through the 1700s, the Chowigna bartered salt from the lake with other tribes.

The Chowigna were relocated to missions in 1854, when Manuel Dominguez sold of Rancho San Pedro, including the lake, to Henry Allanson and William Johnson for the Pacific Salt Works.

In 1983, the city of Redondo Beach adopted a resolution "recognizing the Goodyear Airship Columbia (aka Goodyear blimp) as the "Official Bird of Redondo Beach."WTF Fun Fact 13163 - The Goodyear Blimp Redondo Beach Connection https://wtffunfact.com/wtf-fun-fact-13163-the-goodyear-blimp-redondo-beach-connection/

In 2022, the Redondo Beach government (along with the governments of Torrance, Carson, and Whittier) sued the California state government, seeking to block the California HOME Act (SB 9), which permits the construction of duplexes and fourplexes on lots. Former Redondo Beach mayor Bill Brand argued that there is no housing crisis in Redondo Beach.

In 2023, Redondo Beach rejected an application to transform the lot of an aging waterfront power plant into a village-style complex of 2,700 residential units (including 540 affordable units) and commercial space on the grounds that the application was incomplete. The City was sued by "Yes in My Backyard," but the lawsuit is unresolved as the property is in bankruptcy hearings.

Bill Brand became mayor of Redondo Beach after spearheading the effort to block a 525,000 square foot mall project in King Harbor. Brand had also successfully negotiated a reduction in the number of apartment units in a mixed use development along PCH. The city's residents and political leaders have long advocated to retire the plant and allow it to be restored to its natural wetland state. The city has also participated in legal proceedings to preserve its ability to participate in residential zoning decisions, including the discretion to regulate single-family homes from being transformed by for-profit developers into "six-on-a-lots."

In 2024, Redondo Beach became the first city to achieve "Functional Zero" homelessness in LA County. South Bay Council of Governments (SBCOG) defines "Functional Zero" as more people exiting homelessness than entering it, and also requires that the median time in homelessness be less than 90 days. SBCOG noted Redondo's transitional pallet shelters, "Homeless Court", Project Homekey permanent supportive housing, and other homeless services.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , over 99% of it land.

Redondo Beach was originally part of the 1784 Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant of the Dominguez Rancho that later became the ten-mile (16 km) ocean frontage of Rancho Sausal Redondo.

Climate

Redondo Beach has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csb) with mild winters and warm, almost rainless summers. The coldest months are December through March, and the warmest months are July through September. Redondo Beach has mild temperatures year round due to its coastal location.

Demographics

Redondo Beach first appeared as a city in the 1890 United States census as part of the now defunct Chataqua Township.

Racial and ethnic composition +Redondo Beach city, California – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Po 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)47,23848,01044,81943,53140,79682.73%79.79%70.85%65.22%57.00%Black or African American alone (NH)7609211,5311,7722,1031.33%1.53%2.42%2.65%2.94%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)4142551851631870.73%0.42%0.29%0.24%0.26%Asian alone (NH)2,0133,9975,6777,85810,0852.53%6.64%8.97%11.77%14.09%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)2121771830.34%0.27%0.26%Other race alone (NH)128671982875320.22%0.11%0.31%0.43%0.74%Mixed Americans (NH)xx2,1152,8185,193xx3.34%4.22%7.26%Hispanic or Latino (any race)6,5496,9178,52410,14212,49711.47%11.50%13.47%15.19%17.46%Total57,10260,16763,26166,74871,576100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Redondo Beach had a population of 71,576. The median age was 40.9 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.9 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 29,472 households in Redondo Beach, of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.1% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 30,999 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.4%.

Contemporary demographics The city is affluent and predominantly white.

The 2020 census found that 57.0% of Redondo Beach's residents are non-Hispanic white, similar to many of the coastal Los Angeles County communities (Malibu, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes Estates) despite the greater Los Angeles area being only 23.0% non-Hispanic white.

Redondo Beach, like its neighboring beach towns, has become one of the most exclusionary cities in Los Angeles by limiting housing production, resulting in a median home costing $1.4 million, 60% higher than the regional average for Los Angeles.

2010 census The 2010 United States census reported that Redondo Beach had a population of 66,748. The population density was . The racial makeup of Redondo Beach was 49,805 (74.6%) White (65.2% Non-Hispanic White), 1,852 (2.8%) African American, 291 (0.4%) Native American, 8,004 (12.0%) Asian, 199 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 2,725 (4.1%) from other races, and 3,872 (5.8%) from two or more races. There were 10,142 residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, of any race (15.2%).

The Census reported that 66,317 people (99.4% of the population) lived in households, 367 (0.5%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 64 (0.1%) were institutionalized.

There were 29,011 households, out of which 7,825 (27.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 12,507 (43.1%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,515 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,207 (4.2%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,904 (6.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 179 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,252 households (31.9%) were made up of individuals, and 2,145 (7.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29. There were 16,229 families (55.9% of all households); the average family size was 2.94.

Redondo Beach had 12,887 people (19.3%) under the age of 18, 4,198 people (6.3%) aged 18 to 24, 23,149 people (34.7%) aged 25 to 44, 19,532 people (29.3%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,982 people (10.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

There were 30,609 housing units at an average density of , of which 14,917 (51.4%) were owner-occupied, and 14,094 (48.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.3%. 36,796 people (55.1% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 29,521 people (44.2%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States census, Redondo Beach had a median household income of $99,496, with 5.4% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 63,261 people, 28,566 households, and 15,254 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 29,543 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.6% White, 9.1% Asian, 2.5% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 4.4% from other races, and 4.6, % from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 13.5% of the population.

There were 28,566 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.6% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city, 18.8% of the population was under the age of 18; 6.1%, aged 18 to 24; 43.1%, aged 25 to 44; 23.6%, aged 45 to 64; and 8.5% aged 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $93,274, and the median income for a family was $108,753.http://U.S. Census website.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml factfinder.census.gov Males had a median income of $56,796 versus $45,204 for females. The per capita income for the city was $38,305. About 4.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. Economy According to the city's 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees % of Total City Employment1 Northrop Grumman 6,84518.78%2 Redondo Beach Unified School District9542.62%3 City of Redondo Beach4581.26%4 The Cheesecake Factory2610.72%5 Target2170.60%6 Impulse Space2050.56%7 Macy's1710.47%8 Frontier1640.45%9 United States Postal Service1520.42%10 The Kensington Redondo Beach1300.36%

Government

Local government Redondo Beach's City Council elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of odd-numbered years after the City Attorney notified California's Secretary of State of not moving both its City Council and Board of Education elections to a statewide primary or general election starting in 2018. The elections are all-mail instead of in-person.

The current mayor and council members are:

Mayor: James "Jim" Light Council Members: District 1: Brad Waller