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The City Council unanimously voted to adopt a resolution opposing California Proposition 47 last Tuesday night. The vote of opposition comes on the heels of a similar vote by the LA City Council where that body voiced support for the measure. The measure would re-classify petty crimes such as shoplifting or theft where the value is less than $950 as misdemeanors rather than felonies. It would also require misdemeanor sentencing instead of felony for certain drug possession offenses. Under the initiative about 10,000 current inmates would be allowed to apply for resentencing in accordance with the new guidelines.

In addition to the LA City Council, the proposition was also recently endorsed by the LA Times. Other proponents include the California Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, the ACLU of California, and labor groups like the California Teachers Association. The measure has also drawn support from conservative politicians and businessman like Newt Gingrich and B. Wayne Hughes Jr. A recent poll also showed strong support for the measure among voters indicating it will likely pass with 62% in favor and only 25% against.

In backing the proposition the LA Times stated that, “Opponents offer arguments that are familiar for their fear-mongering tactics but are new in some of their particulars: baseless yet ominous warnings that waves of dangerous criminals will be released; odd predictions about, of all things, date rape.” These so called “fear-mongering” tactics were exactly those offered by the Torrance Police Department and the City Attorney’s office at the Council meeting. Resident Lloyd Brown spoke out against these scare tactics at the meeting and offered his opinion that the proposition was a good law.

In voicing his opposition to Proposition 47, Mayor Furey expressed concern that the measure would allow the early release of convicted felons. He commented that released criminals come to Torrance to “shop” at the homes of residents by stealing their property. Former Torrance Police Officer and current Councilmember Geoff Rizzo was much more forceful. In a strongly worded statement he claimed that the proposition “decriminalized behavior,” that it would allow “deviant behavior to become the norm,” and that it was “not something we should accept in a civilized society.”

Rizzo’s strong opposition is not surprising given that many police groups have united to oppose the initiative and that politicians, especially in Torrance, are loathe to support anything that may be viewed as soft on crime. Still, the unanimous vote of opposition including that of progressive politicians on the Council like Goodrich is curious as the measure seems to have garnered wide support from the democratic political base.

The Council also heard input from the community on Collection Bins. The Council had previously imposed a moratorium prohibiting the placement of new bins within the City until November 15^th, 2014. The staff report acknowledged, however, that during the 10 month moratorium period that the amount of bins within the City increased substantially. Julie Dover, the Chief Operating Officer of Goodwill, spoke out against the bins claiming that unregulated for profit businesses were taking advantage of the Goodwill brand and hampering legitimate non-profit enterprises that served the poor. Representatives from two different collection bin operators offered their view that the bins encouraged recycling and diverted items from the waste stream resulting in less recyclables ending up in the landfill.

Councilmember Ashcraft made an animated argument against the bins expressing her belief that the projected total of upwards of 350 bins would blight the community and that she already sees too much junk. She thought residents would be better served using attended locations such as the Salvation Army.

Councilmember Weideman admitted that he initially thought the bins should be prohibited in the City but that he has since been persuaded by a remark made by Mayor Furey that it’s better to appropriately regulate than prohibit. He then suggested they table the item until the end of October giving City Staff more time to work on appropriate regulations such as how many bins should be allowed, how far apart they should be, what should be the maximum size, how often operators should be required to clean them, and what the fees should be. In a perplexing move, despite voicing strong objections to the bins Councilmember Ashcraft joined the rest of the Council in voting for the staff to draw up regulations that would allow the bins.

At the conclusion of the meeting Mayor Furey asked the Council’s concurrence for the City of Torrance to join the USA Conference of Mayors. Joining the group would cost the City upwards of $12,000 a year.

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.

On only the second round of voting, Mike Griffiths received the requisite 4 votes from the sitting Council members to receive the coveted appointment.  Griffith’s received 3 votes in the first round with Councilmembers Barnett, Ashcraft, and Rizzo voting in his behalf.  Mayor Furey cast his vote for Ray Uchima, while Councilmember Goodrich opted for Alex See, and Councilmember Weideman selected Milton Herring.

Prior to voting, the Council heard from most of the candidates themselves as well as many members of the community.  At least 12 people rose to speak on behalf of Ray Uchima citing his 19 years of service to the community, ability to attract business to Torrance, as well as his ability to resolve challenging view obstruction disputes as a member of the Planning Commission.  Uchima stated that he planned on running in the past election, but withdrew to better care for his ailing father.

Several folks also spoke on behalf of Jimmy Gow noting his love for Torrance, the city of his Birth, and his dedicated involvement with community matters.  A letter from Betsy Butler recommending him was also read by one supporter.  For his part, Jimmy Gow expressed how the death of his father had motivated him to seek the appointment as you can’t wait to live your dreams.

One resident received a hearty applause throughout the room when he confessed that he did not vote for Leilani Kimmel-Dagastino in the past election, but felt that the Council should honor the will of the people by selecting her for the position as she was the highest finishing non-elected candidate in the past election.

Others suggested Sue Herbers as they felt that were an election to be held today for the vacancy that almost certainly she would win based on her many years of service to the City as City Clerk.

In the end, however, the consensus on the Council was for a man that did not speak publicly on his behalf at the meeting nor had any supporters do so.  That’s not to say he doesn’t have strong support from the community as many in attendance seemed pleased with the decision and eager to welcome the only non-party affiliated member of the Council.