Council to Appoint Two New Planning Commissioners

This Tuesday night the City Council will appoint two new members of the Planning Commission.  These critical appointments come on the heels of a recent decision to appoint former Planning Commissioner Mike Griffiths to the City Council.  That vacancy, along with that created by the election of Geoff Rizzo, created the two empty slots on the Commission.

The primary concern of the Planning Commission is the orderly growth of the community.  This important body is responsible for the preparation of master plans and zoning studies that affect the growth and development of Torrance.  The Commission conducts public hearings on precise plans, conditional use permits, subdivision maps, and other cases relative to land use, and makes recommendations to the City Council on zone changes and variances.

The Planning Commission is also seen as a stepping stone to the City Council.  Three current Councilmembers once held Planning Commission posts and two of the last three appointments to the City Council came from the Planning Commission.  With regard to the most recent of those appointments, one commentator lamented that “the 5 white people seated on the dais chose not to add a person of color to better represent the people of Torrance and had to reach so far down the voting results to pick another white male.”

The Council could choose to address that concern with the Planning Commission appointments.   Indeed, two of the persons of color recently passed over for the Council position have applied for the vacant Planning Commission slots.  These two familiar faces are Leilani Kimmel-Dagastino and Milton Herring and they figure to be front-runners for one of the appointments.  Both have City Commission experience and had a strong showing before the voters finishing 5^th and 7^th respectively.

The Council choice will be made difficult, however, as several other veterans of City Commissions applied for the job.  Of these, a leading candidate may be Robert Rudolph.  Rudolph currently serves as a Traffic Commissioner and as President of the North Torrance HOA.  He was known as a staunch support of Mayor Furey in the recent election and lists the mayor as well as Councilmember Kurt Weideman among his references.  As one of his qualifications he listed his penchant for studying land use issues.  He also expressed his desire to evaluate land use issues with an eye toward “balancing individual rights with public welfare.”

Real Estate Broker, Richard Tsao, also brings a wealth of City experience.  He has served on both the Traffic and Cable TV commissions as well as served in volunteer roles with the Torrance Rose Float, the Arts Foundation and the Historical Society.  He stated that his goal was to “preserve the high standards of residential neighborhoods,” and encourage “responsible economic development.”

Accountant Melvin Glass also applied.  He served 8 years on the Disaster Council and currently serves on the Airport Commission.  Glass has also served on the Board of Directors for Windemere HOA.  The current H & R Block Tax Preparer believes he has the “ability to listen to all points of view” and “see the big picture.”

Retired Sr. Project Engineer on the Space Flight Program, Arthur Plourde, is another applicant. His list of references includes well-known community leader Paul Nowatka and notable republicans Craig Huey and Evan Chase.  Plourde has lived in Torrance for 45 years and now sees a city in trouble.  He claims that bad policies have caused businesses to leave resulting in too many vacant properties that could be generating revenue for the City.  He aims to tackle those issues should he be appointed.

Dan Thomas is another well-known and well-qualified candidate.  He believes that his residency in the hillside overlay area and his own personal experience with the remodel process gives him a unique perspective that would aid him on the Commission.  He has prior commission experience on the Cable TV Board and currently works in sales at Time Warner Cable.  He’s served on the Board of Directors for the Torrance Chamber of Commerce and lists the current President of the Chamber, Donna Duperron, among his references.

Special education teacher Charlotte Svolos, who finished 11th out of 16 in the past recent election, also seeks a seat on the Commission.  Svolos, who is known to wear many hats, has never served on a City Commission but has served the community in several other capacities.  With her expertise in education, she would bring a unique perspective to the Commission.

The applicant field is rounded out by Gregory Taylor and George H. Simon.  Neither has City Commission experience, but that doesn’t mean they are not well qualified.  Taylor is a biology major that currently works in Insurance.  He hopes to bring the “perspective of a long-term resident and future retiree.”   Simon is a Real Estate Broker and President of Dad’s on campus at Seaside elementary.  He describes himself as a self-motivated entrepreneur and successful businessman.