Growing up, I remember my grandfather – who was a supporter of local business – always saying, “If you can’t find it in Torrance, you don’t need it.” But the cost of running our city is going up AND our revenue is flat. Let’s create new revenue streams and KEEP OUR MONEY in Torrance.

Now, our current sales tax is 9 and a half percent. I for one, would gladly pay an EXTRA half-cent to help Torrance. Sometimes you already are, like when you buy something for a dollar, the tax is ALREADY rounded-up to a dime. Let’s make sure we vote to keep that money in Torrance, rather than have it go to the county.

It’s not a question of IF, but WHEN will the sales tax go up to the 10.25% cap and will Torrance get to keep any of that it in the city. Because if this measure doesn’t pass, there’s nothing stopping some other county agency from taking the remainder for some other use.

Of course, nobody likes increasing taxes, but our city’s current financial situation necessitates the passing of the half-cent sales tax on the ballot as Measure SST in June. So, remember, this won’t impact a resident buying food, but the revenue from large purchases here, like at the mall or one of our car dealerships, will make a big difference.

And I don’t want to see cuts to our public safety, but if anyone says that we don’t need this measure and somehow we won’t need to make drastic cuts to the budget, well they are just not being completely honest with you about our situation.

Because even if this sales tax passes, it will not completely solve our economic crisis, but in order to prevent even higher taxes and fees, I am committed to overhauling our entire budget. This is the only way to manage our finances without major tax increases.

And as I said when I ran for City Council back in 2018, I believe the biggest challenge facing our city is the one we don’t know about yet. Like a pandemic, or the city website being hacked, or when the council made the tough choice to go to District elections to save the city millions of dollars.

In that case, I stepped up with problem-solving leadership and created the FINAL approved City Council District map, and we’ll use that map to elect a Councilmember for THIS new district for the first time this year.

It is this kind of problem-solving that is required to face the current fiscal state of the city, and what an interesting situation our city is in right now. In one survey of the “Best cities to live in California” Torrance is in the top 5 and is #23 in America’s best cities to live.

But on the list rating the financial health of California cities based on reserves, we are in the BOTTOM 5!

Now, no one is more proud to be a citizen of Torrance than I am, but this lack of reserves leaves us ill-prepared for facing on-going issues affecting our economy.

The cost of running our city is going up AND our revenue is flat.

If we fail to reverse these trends we risk cutting vital services and diminishing Torrance’s business and employment opportunities.

We need to create new revenue streams and KEEP OUR MONEY in Torrance.

I’ve met with our city staff and they’re great. Already they are working to close the gaps between our revenues and our expenditures, as evidenced by the two recent Budget Overview Sessions presented at City Council meetings and the scheduled Public Hearings on May 10 and 24.

They are closely tracking multiple areas that will require attention, including: the General Fund Operating Fund, Sanitation, Transit, Fleet Services, and Self-Insurance Funds.

As a District 1 candidate, I participated in both the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce 2022 State of the City presentation featuring Mayor Pat Furey, and the 22nd Annual General Assembly of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, I suggest we also look to neighboring cities that are doing well and investigate the best practices of those cities. How did they solve these problems and how we can learn from their success?

It’s also important to keep in mind that this is not a completely new situation. Some of us remember when our city, and the entire country, faced the economic crisis of 2008. Our City Council had to make tough choices about how to keep us going.

But we did it back then and we will do it now. Naysayers claim this is the end of Torrance as we know it, but I am confident we will endure, find a remedy to our current budget situation and come out better than ever. As your Councilmember, I will work tirelessly to make sure we do. Failure is not an option.

We are fortunate in Torrance to not experience crime at rates similar to other cities in LA county. But that doesn’t mean we are immune to regional problems, and nobody is happy when they become a victim of a crime. I remember when my vehicle was stolen right from my driveway one night and I’m thankful for the Torrance detectives who helped me recover it.
Currently, it seems that catalytic converter thefts are occurring, and to combat this, our Torrance Police Department holds Etching Events. This is just one example of the proactive action taken by our law enforcement. And the Torrance PD website and social media includes info on everything from thefts from unlocked vehicles and thefts of pickup truck tailgates, to residential burglaries including during fumigation tenting and phone scam advisories. They also maintain a Torrance Victim Support Program, created to ensure that support services are accessible to crime victims and remind the public to “See Something, Say Something.”

In 2018, I was a participant in the 42nd class of the Partners In Policing program, where residents can get a detailed experience of various aspects of our TPD.

As someone who has also had family members on patrol, and in the line-of-fire, there’s no doubt that I care deeply about our police officers. I know what it’s like to have loved ones who take an oath to protect and serve, never knowing if they will return home safely. Like in 1994, when my uncle, Sgt. Tom Vanderpool – and his Capt., Mike Tracy – were killed in the line of duty, victims of a sudden and senseless act of gun violence.

And, while we can’t control the unexpected, we owe it to our public safety personnel to support the training, policies, standards and practices that will help restore the reputation of our police department.

Racism must NOT be tolerated in Torrance!

I was proud to stand with my friend Mr. Sahara AGAINST Trump’s illegal Muslim TRAVEL bans.
He was held in a World War II Incarceration Camp, so he knows all about racism.
I appreciate his endorsement AND support his efforts for
Camp recognition.

I will stand up against racism in whatever form it takes.

From hate crimes directed at our Asian community right in our own parks, to Muslims children being bullied just for following their religion.
From those who call COVID the “China virus” to anyone endorsed by someone who invited racist Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to Torrance.

And likewise, we cannot tolerate racism in OUR OWN law enforcement. I met with our Police Chief, and appreciate his efforts to clean house and create his Police Chief’s Advisory Board.

Let’s have community policing, hold bad-actors accountable and provide the proper training necessary to make our public safety services respectful, equitable and safer for everyone. Some call it “Safer Policing” for greater public safety.

I met with our Police Chief, and appreciate his efforts to clean house and create his Police Chief’s Advisory Board.

Oversight could build a new relationship between the public and law enforcement, but the current council would NOT even allow a survey – for community input – on how oversight might work. I believe the people of Torrance deserve to be heard! We need an independent voice on the council that will help restore trust within the community.

And let’s remember, we are better as a community when we embrace our diversity.

In 2016, I was appointed as an original, founding member of the, then new, Social Services Commission. I was elected by my colleagues to the first 3-terms as Chair. Under my leadership, we sponsored the city’s Homeless Count, the annual Toiletry Drive and created the Long-Range Action Plan that still guides the direction of the Commission and was the framework for the city’s Homelessness Plan.

One successful result is that Torrance now has a dedicated, professional Homelessness Outreach Coordinator and Housing Navigator.

We also called for increasing the TMET program, where instead of uniformed officers responding to calls, Torrance’s trained mental evaluation teams respond.

This approach begins to create relationship and trust with people. In fact, it takes multiple contacts before they’re confident and willing to accept support.

And the Pallet Homes program is a good start, as long as it’s accompanied by plans to move towards rapid re-housing and wrap-around services.

Our Work Plan included many of the County Strategies for supporting the unhoused. Among them, a provision for the decriminalization of homelessness. I am interested in programs like the Homeless Court Project which is designed to assist persons experiencing homelessness with any outstanding criminal legal situations hindering their ability to gain viable living resources and wrap-around service needs.

There seems to be a failure to understand that people experiencing homelessness, are not clear on city boundaries, homelessness is a regional issue and Torrance can’t just try to sweep it away to Lomita, Redondo, or Gardena.

In fact, we discovered that even though the county houses more people than ever, more and more people still become homeless.

We should participate in regional solutions, without giving in to frustration or dehumanizing people with citations and warrants for arrest.

But we CAN compassionately help people, including our homeless TUSD students, improve their lives, meet basic needs, and help many of them get off the street.  We can also focus on preserving Quality of Life and respecting valuable public areas for all of us.

Frankly, the whole Homelessness issue reminds me of when I taught Sunday School at the same church my grandmother did, the BLUE one on Maple Ave. just south of the Civic Center and Torrance Blvd. My mom’s High School youth group helped build that church and I’m proud that the First Christian Church of Torrance is now the host of Family Promise of South Bay, supporting families and working to keep them from slipping into homelessness. So, I remember one Bible verse that has always stuck with me: “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

It’s the basis for my outlook on living a life of service and is similar to my favorite quote, which is the reason for doing so and it’s why I do everything I do.

It’s from Barack Obama in his speech on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King. First he quotes MLK like this: “...Dr. King once said that the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.”

Then Obama goes on, “It bends towards justice, but here’s the thing: it does not bend on its own. It bends because each of us in our own way reach up and put our hands on that arc and we bend it in the direction of justice.”

That is why I’m running for City Council, and it will be my honor and privilege to serve the residents of North Torrance in District 1.

When my family decided to move to Torrance and when we decided to headquarter our business in Torrance 30 years ago, safety was one of the main reasons we picked this city. The ideas I’ve heard mentioned by other candidates about replacing the Torrance Police and Fire with the LA County Sheriff and LA County Fire, closing a fire station, or decreasing funding to TPD are absurd. But equally harmful are suggestions that we should increase the Public Safety Budget from where it currently stands as 60% of our city’s budget and fund housing subsidies for our officers and firemen. We need to focus our limited resources on make sure our police are fully supported, well trained, well equipped, and that our department is able to stay competitive in hiring the best officers in the region.

I also vow to protect our city attorney’s office… It’s unique for a city to prosecute its own misdemeanors. This is really important now that the DA’s office is refusing to prosecute many criminals. Our neighbors have been trying to follow our lead and prosecute their own misdemeanors, but have been prevented to so by the DA’s office. I will fight to protect this important deterrent to crime in our city.

Torrance is ranked as the 4th most likely city in California to go bankrupt.  As a city we have been spending more than we earn for many years and now we are at a point where our reserves are depleted. We need a City Council who will do the hard work to balance our city’s budget. Honestly, at this point, any candidate who suggests spending more money on anything is putting our city services at risk for political gain.

Torrance is unique; as a city we depend heavily on sales tax while communities around us rely more on property tax. Some of this is by design, but as our local businesses’ income decreases it has a bigger impact on Torrance than our smaller neighbors. The budget issue can be viewed as both a spending issue and an earning issue. Regarding spending, unfunded pension liabilities have hurt the city, but the pandemic and supply chain issues hurt us more dramatically on the earning side because we're so dependent on the sales tax revenue from our auto dealerships and stores.

We need to refocus our efforts in bringing businesses to Torrance and growing the ones that are here. There are lots of ways a city can make money. As a Planning Commissioner, I'm very familiar with the project that is replacing the former Toyota Headquarters. Development on that project alone has already brought a significant amount of revenue to our city in development fees and will bring a significant growth to our property tax revenue. Encouraging businesses like that to come to Torrance and fill up some of the empty and vacant properties we have will do great things for our economy. The City of Torrance owns land that it leases out to business complexes, we should reevaluate the rate we are charging. Our Occupancy Tax (the rate we charge hotel guests) is low compared to our neighboring cities, perhaps that should be reevaluated. As a city we need to reevaluate our revenue sources and our expenses

A culture of financial stewardship needs to be spread throughout our city and each city department. We still need our police, fire, libraries, parks… So, the next City Council needs to work to minimize the impact to our residents rather than special interests.

Of the tax dollars that Torrance residents pay to address homelessness issues county wide (Measure H), LA County takes $32 million and Torrance gets $5 million. This is completely unfair to our residents and the city needs to work to get our fair share. We need to do everything in our power to keep our tax dollars in Torrance where they will make a difference in our neighborhood.

This is an extremely important issue. Recently, in my neighborhood a homeless individual was breaking into a neighbor’s garage. We searched the neighborhood and thankfully Torrance Police (TPD) were able to catch him. Also, I’ve been noticing encampments forming in Guenser and Columbia Parks. My concern is primarily the increase in crime, littering, and property damage that comes with increased homeless populations.

We’re not helpless, because there are some things we can do, but the national/regional/local issues with homelessness are so intertwined that the easiest to implement solutions will need to come at the county level. Unfortunately, the County isn’t really helping Torrance here… I’ll explain a bit further down. To put it shortly, Torrance needs to: 1. Enforce its anti-camping ordinances. 2. Work to keep our tax dollars in Torrance rather than send them to LA County and at the same time better take advantage of county homeless resources. 3. Do our best to redirect crimes related to homelessness to the city prosecutor rather than the DA who is refusing to prosecute crimes.

Unfortunately, the ruling in the case of Martin vs. Boise made it extremely difficult for cities to enforce laws regarding homelessness. “Anti-camping ordinances” are the laws traditionally used to prevent people from living on the sidewalks, in the parks, or generally in any public area. Current case law in the US is that “anti-camping ordinances” can only be enforced if the local government has temporary housing that the individual refuses to use.

The current plan in place is for the pallet houses by City Hall to be built and allow TPD to enforce anti-camping ordinances in the city. I’m concerned that this may not solve our problems because Torrance’s homeless population is in the hundreds and those 40 beds will fill up quickly. When we are able to enforce our anti-camping ordinances, TPD needs to prioritize individuals living in our neighborhoods, parks, and near our schools.

And lastly, our District Attorney’s office refuses to enforce our laws. When homeless individuals break the law (theft/drug use/property damage), TPD can arrest them, but they immediately go free since the DA won’t prosecute them. Torrance City Council need to work to ensure as many of these crimes go to the Torrance City Prosecutor rather than the DA.

I’ve worked a lot with organizations like North County Lifeline and Clare | Matrix. There are programs in place that are addressing the core issues causing homelessness and those need to be encouraged. But we also need to make sure we keep our neighborhoods and parks safe and clean.