Youths Give Wheels of Government a Spin : Redondo Beach: High school students grapple with a $1.5-million budget shortfall while trying to fill in for the city’s top leadership for an afternoon. Things went smoothly.

It was the kind of City Council meeting Redondo Beach rarely sees: orderly, productive, no bickering and, almost miraculously, completed in less than two hours.

But that’s exactly what happened last week when some of the city’s best and brightest high school students conducted a mock council meeting. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the program provides youth with an opportunity to learn about local government firsthand by filling in for the city’s top leadership for an afternoon.

“I’ve always been interested in government and history, and I wanted to learn how it works behind the scenes,” said Melissa Anderson, a senior at Redondo Union High and one of 30 students who participated in the program. “There’s so many rules and regulations you have to know about. It’s hard to see how they actually all work together and run the city, but they do.”

“I kind of thought they just sat behind their desks all day,” said Anna Birenbaum, a Redondo Union junior who followed the workings of the city attorney. “It was real interesting to see how a real lawyer works.”

To give them a challenge, city officials let the youngsters grapple with the city’s $1.5-million budget shortfall this year. Working from recommendations prepared by city staff, the student-run council passed a host of measures aimed at bringing in more city revenue.

Although they didn’t erase the city’s monetary woes, their enthusiasm did not go unnoticed.

“This generation of young people for whatever reason seem to have a greater grasp on local politics than the students a few years ago,” City Manager Bill Kirchhoff said. “I was really impressed with their poise and their maturity.”

Although some of the revenue discussion was dry, a proposal for a family water park at Seaside Lagoon produced the meeting’s most animated moments. Acting as the director of recreation and community development, Luis Navarro of Bishop Montgomery High School argued that the park would generate tax revenue and create jobs. But the water park, which would feature a wave-maker, would have other benefits too, Navarro said.

“(A wave-maker) would be the same thing as having a really good wave,” said Navarro, who identified himself as a surfer. “Except you don’t have to paddle out as far to get a good wave.”

Navarro, who said he is considering a career in international diplomacy, persuaded his peers to approve the park.

After four students spoke on behalf of local business interests, current Councilwoman Barbara Doerr decided to throw “a little boomerang” at the unsuspecting students. Doerr, pretending to represent a taxpayers union, blasted the council for even considering raising taxes and for holding an afternoon meeting when most people are at work.

But acting Mayor Roraine Oh, a Redondo Union junior, wasn’t about to be intimidated by one her elders.

“I’d like to note it wasn’t our idea to hold the meeting at 4 p.m.,” shot back Oh, whose father and younger brother videotaped her brief tenure in office.

For other students, the thrill was seeing what happens when citizens run afoul of the law.

“I got to see a jail cell,” said Nicole Kissam, a Bishop Montgomery senior who filled in as city manager. “It was pretty cool.”

But not all of the MTV generation was as energized by the day’s proceedings. In fact, like many adults, the students learned that much of local government can be boring.

“It seems like presiding over a meeting could be real tedious,” Birenbaum said. “I’ve seen meetings on community access television. I usually change it, but my parents watch it.”