Part seven and last in a series.
The City Council gave staff direction on the next steps at the end of the 2025 Strategic Planning meeting. At the time, staff anticipated coming back to the council with “deliverables” in February or March of 2026 to follow up on the items that were discussed.
The follow up discussion may take place away from City Hall, but a specific location was not been selected during the Strategic Planning meeting. Seal Beach Police Chief Henderson described the follow up as “effectively refreshing” the Strategic Planning meeting sometime during the first three months of 2026.
This was the last item on the Strategic Planning meeting agenda of Nov. 8, 2025. (As of Dec. 28, the video had been viewed 75 times.) Henderson moderated the meeting.
All proposals were based on an informal consensus, without any council members casting votes.
The following is not a transcript but a summary with highlights from the conclusion of the meeting.
• Digital billboards
The council discussed using advertising on digital billboards to generate revenue for Seal Beach. The council on Dec. 18 approved hiring a legal consultant to help with this project. (See “City hires legal consultant for digital bill board project,” at sunnews.org.)
Staff will bring a progress report to the council.
• Lifeguard headquarters/police substation
This item has been on the city’s radar for years. Although a remodel or replacement of the building has been discussed, the city does not have enough money to fund this project. A consultant recommended renovation in 2010. A 2017 letter from the same consultant recommended the construction of a new building. The headquarters has two restrooms (one in each of two separate buildings), 365 junior lifeguard participants in 2025, and no fire sprinkler system. Public Works Director Iris Lee will bring this matter back to the council. According to Chief Henderson, staff will come back with a roadmap to define the working group coalition for the project. (See 3:12:05 on the Strategic Planning video at YouTube.) For more details, see part one of this series, “A working group for Lifeguard HQ replacement?” at sunnews.org.
• Main Street beautification
The council looked at improving Main Street in 2019, when Seal Beach hired Rabben/Herman to provide design services, in 2021, and again in on Nov. 8, 2025. The adopted 2023-24 budget showed $85,000 carried over for Main Street improvements.
The discussion included improving signage and upgrading lighting on Main Street, as well as washing sidewalks more frequently (in house), re-striping parking spaces, and possibly replacing the trees on Main Street. (For details, see “City seeks to balance beauty, character on Main,” at sunnews.org.) The council also discussed updating the Main Street Specific Plan, which was created in 1996.
Henderson said staff would bring back a plan for maintenance of Main Street with costs.
Public Works Director Lee will bring back that part of the plan for council review.
Henderson will bring back the parking discussion.
Improving the Main Street area will include looking at a gazebo at the end of the Pier and communicating with the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. (Construction on the Pier would also require a coastal development permit from the California Coastal Commission.)
The Main Street Specific Plan update will be brought back by Interim Community Development Director Shaun Temple and Management Analyst Jennifer Robles.
• Main Street Parking
Staff has proposed paid parking on Main Street. At least two council members have indicated support for paid parking. District Five Councilman Nathan Steele has expressed support for paid parking in the past.
“That position is my responsibility,” said Henderson on Nov. 8, 2025. (For details, see “Council looks at paid parking on Main,” at sunnews.org.) Any change to parking in the Main Street area would require a coastal development permit from the California Coastal Commission.
• Business First Working Group and outreach
Staff will come back with the Business First working group (or committee) proposal. The committee will be included in the paid parking discussion, according to Henderson. Council members Joe Kalmick (District One) and Ben Wong (District Two) will represent the city on the committee. “We’ll come back to discuss the composition with a mix of business owners, property owners, staff, homeowners, Chamber of Commerce, Bay Theatre, etcetera,” said Henderson said on Nov. 8. He said a concierge program would be part of the working group. (For details, see “City to launch Business First initiative,” at sunnews.org.) Staff will be responsible for bringing additional public feedback to the council.
• Special events and the 2028 Olympics
Council members discussed having more special events in town, but perhaps in other areas besides Old Town. Among the ideas discussed were expanding summer concerts. District One Counilman Joe Kalmick suggested the city organize a sand castle competition, and a craft market.
Council members agreed to form an Olympics planning committee. This would be similar to, but separate from, the proposed Business First committee. District Three Councilwoman/2026 Mayor Lisa Landau and District Four Councilwoman Patty Senecal will sit on this committee.
In November 2025, Chief Henderson suggested having two council members on the Olympics committee. (For details about special events as well as the Olympic committee, see “City planning for Olympics,” at sunnews.org.) Chief Henderson said it sounded like the city, instead of saying put up a wall and saying don’t come here, was putting out the welcome mat.
In addition to discussing plans for special events in town and preparing for the Olympic Games, Senecal suggested having a budget discussion. One of the proposals floated during the Strategic Planning meeting was to provide the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce with funding. No specific amount was discussed and the council took no formal action at the time.
District Five Councilman Nathan Steele suggested increasing the number of short term rentals allowed in Seal Beach to accommodate people coming for the Olympics. Some Southland cities have already become hosts for Olympic teams.
Recreation Manager Tim Kelsey will be the lead on the Olympic planning committee.
At the end of the Straagetic Planning meeting, resident Catherine Showalter said:“I just want to say I’m really glad about the Olympics committee. I’m sorry it’s taken us so long to get here. I think we’ve missed some opportunities, but I think at this point in time, we just really need to open our minds up to all kinds of ideas from whatever is going on in other cities in Orange County and our neighbors, Long Beach.”
Council members and department heads expressed satisfaction with the format for the meeting. City Manager Patrick Gallegos said he was excited. He thanked the public for showing up.
