Candidates Clash (Sort of) at USBA Forum

USBA Candidates Forum at Nakano Theatre

The USBA billed the event as a night where you could ask the questions nobody has allowed you to ask.  As advertised, the candidates did field a smattering of questions they are unlikely to receive at other local forums on topics such United Nations Agenda 21, climate change, and the current business license fee structure.

Unlike other candidate forums, the USBA also promised to offer more of a debate with candidates given the freedom to refer to other candidates positions and rebut arguments. With few exceptions, however, the candidates did not take the bait as they mostly stuck to safe talking points and non-committal responses; thereby offering few diverging viewpoints.

When asked if they supported implementing UN Agenda 21 mandates within Torrance, Rizzo said Agenda 21 had no application to local politics. Eng echoed that sentiment by saying the agenda was very far removed from the City.  Griffiths turned it on the residents by saying he would try and support what the residents wanted. Herring deflected the question by stating the need to maintain a balanced approach while Sheikh focused his response on improving traffic in Torrance.

With regard to allocating funding for climate change initiatives, Griffiths and Rizzo both advocated for moving forward with a balanced approach that would not put our businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Eng suggested incremental initiatives such as bike lanes and more public transit routes.  Eng also took the opportunity to take a stab at ExxonMobil for funding climate change deniers as far back as the 1970’s, which is something he referred to as hypocrisy.  Sheikh said climate change is a big concern and that he was doing his part by using recyclable bags to promote his campaign instead of sending out a bunch of mailers. Herring dodged the question entirely by simply saying he was for maintaining property values and keeping the same tax rate.

Concerning business licenses, the moderator referred to a study by the USBA concluding that Torrance is one of the most expensive cities in the South Bay in which to do business and that business license fees are four times higher in Torrance.  On this issue, all the candidates seemed to support a review of the business fee structure. Herring, however, suggested a flat yearly fee of $99 for all businesses with less than 5 employees.  Eng said small business fees should be waived for the first year, but suggested that fees for subsequent years be based on the number of employees or a percentage of revenue. Griffiths mildly clashed with Eng on that point as he was adamant that fees for small business should not be based on revenue as he felt that would be punitive to small business.

Eng and Griffiths also sparred on the City’s response to the refinery start-up and whether they agreed with Mayor Furey’s recent assertion that there was nothing the City could do to address resident concerns expressed by groups such as FLARE.  Eng criticized the City saying they had “dropped the ball” on this one.  He called for the City to establish a refinery commission and to pursue using public nuisance laws to take action against ExxonMobil. Griffiths said the notion that the City has done nothing is inaccurate citing a lot of work they had done behind the scenes.  Griffiths also expressed the need to rely on the experts.

Eng also differentiated himself from the other candidates by being the only one to come out in favor of the $15 minimum wage as a good way to move forward. Griffiths said he was opposed to the government setting wages and said that if a person does not like what they are paid then they should quit their job and find another one. Rizzo echoed that by saying he was not a big fan of it and he felt like government was trying to legislate a middle class. Herring expressed concerns about how it would impact small businesses and said he would not advocate for any minimum wage increases. Sheikh took a softer approach saying he would like to tweak the law, but did not offer what tweaks he would like to see.

In responding to other questions, all the candidates agreed that Torrance is behind the technology curve and supported technology initiatives like the forthcoming updated website and possible development of mobile apps to report concerns like potholes. The candidates also all agreed that Torrance’s water is safe to drink and that the increased sightings of coyotes are a concern.

Candidate Leilani Kimmel Dagastino was a notable absentee from the forum.  She wrote on Facebook that she was, “sorry I could not make it to the debate but I was in Washington DC advocating for small business and other programs benefiting Torrance.”

Dagastino traveled  to Washington DC as part of the LA Area Chamber of Commerce’s Access Washington advocacy trip. The advocacy trip was open to any individual willing to make travel arrangements and pay the registration fee of $850.

According to the LA Area Chamber of Commerce, delegates on the trip were to advocate for the LA region by focusing on priorities including LA’s 2024 Olympic bid, the Trans Pacific Partnership, developing a 21st Century workforce, and immigration reform.

With regard to her experience Dagastino wrote, “Access Washington 2016. We made things happen. I was the only one representing Torrance.”