Meet the Mayor

Patch spoke with Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin last month before his trip to Chengdu, China, as a member of the delegation to develop a potential sister city partnership and sign the "Letter of Friendship."

Gin got his start in public service in 1989 when he joined the Redondo Beach City Commission. He went on to serve on the Preservation Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Council. A former IT manager, Gin is serving his second four-year mayoral term. He also works as a field deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.

In 2007, Mayor Gin was selected as a David Bohnett Fellow of the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute and completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Executive Education Program at the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

  ( This interview was edited and condensed.)

Redondo Beach Patch: Tell me a little bit about yourself.  

Mayor Mike Gin: I was born in Inglewood and lived in what's considered to be South Central L.A. until I was 5. Back in 1968, my family moved to Hawthorne, so I went to elementary school and high school in the Hawthorne school district.  

I was one of those mischievous kids who like to push buttons. I was always fascinated by tech types of things. I went to the University of Southern California and got a bachelor's degree in computer science in 1984. In 1988, my sister and I moved to Redondo Beach. We purchased our first place in North Redondo.  

In 1995 I got this crazy idea to run for the city council. It was a four-person race, and my opponents were very well known in the city. I decided to walk the district. I went out and talked to people and found out what their issues were. I won the election with 62.5 percent of the vote. In 2005 I was elected mayor and I was re-elected without opposition in 2009. I feel very fortunate to be able to do what I do.   

Patch:  Was there a moment when you decided to switch from engineer to public service?         

Mayor: I was working as an IT technology manager. I was doing OK, but I've always enjoyed civic activities. I'd met Don Knabe back in 1995, not too long after I was elected as a councilman. I was very impressed. He represented the type of an elected official I've always wanted to be: accessible, a good listener, down to earth. (Someone who) always respects people, even people you may disagree with, or who may disagree with you.  

Fast-forward to 2003, I get hired to be his field deputy representing Palos Verdes Peninsula as well as San Pedro, Wilmington and Harbor City. I was surprised and honored. I realized what I really want to do in my time here on earth is public service to the best of my ability.  

Patch: What do you enjoy most about public service? 

Mayor: Helping people. Ultimately, the major role of the government is to provide services for its constituency. Much of what I do is to look for ways to provide those services for my community. 

It also gives me a global view of what's happening in the community. I get to see the volunteerism that goes on. I get to see different social service agencies that are providing the safety nets for people where the government cannot.

Patch: How would you describe Redondo Beach? 

Mayor: A casual, fun and down-to-earth beach community with a rich history. We are one of the oldest cities in the LA County. We were incorporated in 1892, so we have a very colorful history.  

Patch:  What are the main issues Redondo Beach faces? 

Mayor: Right now, it is the economic situation. Last year's recession was probably the worst that any of us has ever seen. Our first priority over the next couple years is to stabilize our city budget to ensure when a recovery occurs—there are signs we are starting to see a little bit of a recovery—that we'll be well positioned to take advantage of  it.  

One of the most difficult decisions I had to make, and our council had to make, was last year's decision to lay off people. Our city manager determined that we needed 6 percent cuts in all departments. Even with that, we still had to lay off people.  

Patch: How did the experience of letting people go affect you as mayor? 

Mayor: Layoffs are always done by position, not by names, but ultimately I knew some of these people. Emotionally, that's really tough because you realize you have to sever that tie. It was like losing a part of your family. 

People here really care about the community. Many of them are also fortunate enough to live here in town. A lot of folks have raised their families here. For the city staff, for many of them it really is more than just a job. They are contributing to making Redondo Beach a great place. It was emotional for me to have to tell some of these folks, you know what, we have to let you go.  

Patch: Where do you see the city of Redondo Beach and also yourself in five years? 

Mayor: I'm hoping that we will be fully recovered and fully economically vibrant. We will have a nice new hotel in the harbor, some new amenities throughout the town, new additions to our Galleria. Five years from now, I am hoping that the work that we are doing now will have set the stage for financial vitality and financial stability. Overall, my goals have been economic, environmental and cultural sustainability.  

I am going to be termed out in 2013. I enjoy what I do. I think public service—particularly as an elected official—is one of the greatest honors you can have. If other elective opportunities come up in 2013, I'll be interested in looking into them. I'd like to be able to continue doing what I do, but it will depend on what comes up. 

Patch: As mayor, what frustrates you, what inspires you? 

Mayor: Having been in the private sector for many years, particularly with technology companies, we are used to being very nimble. Most businesses, particularly progressive technology companies, have to be quick to adapt, change and turn on a dime to adjust to changing market conditions.  (With government) it is sometimes frustrating that things can't get done as quickly as you think they should. The state and federal governments are huge bureaucracies, and sometimes it can be very difficult to get the money we need from them in a timely fashion.  

The public policy process takes time as well. I've learned not to be frustrated by how long it takes because it's always been very important for me to work collaboratively. To have a large amount of community engagement on important issues, then make the best decision you can. Sometimes coming to those decisions can take months, even years. But that's part of the process and it's an important and necessary process.

What inspires me are the people. Most people care about their government. They care about their city and about how the government operates. They care about their elected officials. They may not necessarily like them, but they realize we have a role and in many cases we are necessarily evil (laughs).  

When you are at the city level, it is democracy at its richest because people can stop me in the supermarket and chat with me about issues. We are the government that really touches people's lives in the most direct way, much more so than the federal government. To me that's inspiring. 

Patch: What are the places you like to visit in Redondo Beach? 

Mayor: I love Dominguez Park, the Historical Museum and the Morrell House. I have an emotional connection to the Morrell House because I helped in a very small way doing some painting [during the restoration]. The home is now transformed into a living history museum. It's also the place where I got married to my longtime partner, Christopher.  

There are so many good places to eat around town. I love Bistro Miyoda for Japanese food, I love Eat at Joe's for great breakfast, as well as CJ's Pantry. For yogurt, I love going to Menchies in North Redondo and Yogurtland in South Redondo. I love shopping at Trader Joe's. 

Patch: Is there something you want to promote for the city?               

Mayor: The biggest thing you can do to help sustain us during this economic recession is to shop in Redondo. Go to the Riviera Village or Artesia Boulevard, or South Bay Galleria. Invite your family and friends to come down here and dine at our restaurants and stay in our hotels. If you need to purchase something online go to our city's web site, redondo.org/library, and click on the Amazon link.  When you do that, 2 to 5 percent of your purchase price will be donated to the Redondo Beach library system.