by Garth Meyer
An LGBTQ+ Pride flag flies on the city hall flag pole after a raising ceremony June 6.
A large crowd of supporters cheered Tuesday night as Mayor Bill Brand sent the flag up the pole for the month of June.
In a short ceremony beforehand, he talked about residents being discriminated against and excluded in Redondo Beach.
“Those days are behind us,” he said.
Four city councilmembers also spoke.
“It doesn’t matter who you love. It only matters who you are,” said Todd Loewenstein.
“I look forward to a permanent installation representing your community,” said Paige Kaluderovic.
Former councilman Christian Horvath watched from the crowd – it was his motion earlier this year which led to the local flag display.
“I can’t even stress how happy I am,” said Jonatan Cvetko, a Redondo resident and LBGTQ+ advocate. “Pride is about community and acceptance and Redondo absolutely made that statement. Not only the council but the residents; all the people who attended.”
The ceremony came together after a May 30 city council vote, which addressed three items the council had sent to city staff to explore: the creation of a city flag policy, to decide whether a ceremony will be held for the Pride flag, and whether lighting the Pier in rainbow colors was feasible.
Lighting the Pier, assistant city manager Elizabeth Hause reported, was possible, but not this year.
“My thing is, real simple: we have one flag, right over there, for one nation, we’re underneath that flag, that tent,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Nils Nehrenheim at the May 30 meeting.
He did not take part in the flag-raising ceremony.
Part of a city flag policy would address the existing city flag and whether to fly it. City Manager Mike Witzansky brought out the little-seen symbol from inside city hall to show it to Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr., and others.
“No, I don’t want our city flag. I don’t want to be required to fly our city flag, I don’t like our city flag,” said Obagi.
In public comment May 30, Shannon Keating spoke as a bisexual.
“I’m with you, I love that flag,” she said to Nehrenheim, referring to the American flag. “But I have to tell you, as a member of the LGBTQ community, we’re hidden. I was hidden 40 years ago, I would’ve been hidden here tonight if I didn’t come up and say who I am.”
Then her “other half” stepped to the podium, Patricia Alford-Keating.
“What the Pride flag means is so important as a symbol,” said Alford-Keating, a psychologist who noted she has counseled college students. “You can’t imagine what it means to people to see that symbol. We know it takes courage.”
Nehrenheim later made a motion to approve a city flag policy.
City Attorney Mike Webb told the council that flying a Pride flag would represent government speech on behalf of the city.
“It’s important that this remains only for official government speech,” he said.
The initial idea for a city hall event for the raising came from Loewenstein.
“We need to make the statement as the council that we’ve decided to do this,” said Kaluderovic. “We
need to make the statement.”
Webb reiterated that, in his legal opinion, it was clearly government speech and that a ceremony should include only the mayor and councilmembers as speakers.
The final vote, to raise the Pride flag, and have the June 6 ceremony, passed 4-1.
“I’m opposed. Show the city flag,” Nehrenheim said.
What flies now – under the U.S. flag and California’s – is known as the “Progress Flag,” designed in 2018. It incorporates race as well as sexual orientation/gender identity. It also flies over Los Angeles County offices this month. ER
