Category: General

Torrance is considering a new ordinance that is designed to curtail illegal activity that may be occurring at some of the 61 massage establishments currently operating within the city.  It could, however, end up harming local businesses.  The proposed ordinance would prohibit any new massage establishment from opening in a location that was closed due to criminal activity for a period of two years.

The staff report explained that the Torrance Police Department (TPD) has recently conducted successful undercover “sting” operations that have resulted in the eventual revocation of the massage establishment’s business license.  As reported recently by the Daily Breeze, these operations include the TPD sending male officers into the establishments to see if masseuses offer more than just a massage.  One of these operations resulted in the arrests of the two individuals pictured above, one of which allegedly performed a sex act on an undercover officer.

According to the City, these undercover operations are time consuming and expensive to perform.  The concern is that even when the city is able to shut down an offending establishment it is all too easy for the property owner to re-lease the premises to another massage business as all of the fixtures necessary to perform such an establishment usually remain in place.

Unfortunately, the ordinance also has the potential to have a negative impact on the business community.  The restrictions placed upon re-leasing could create further vacancies in an already challenging commercial real estate market.  In addition, it could create hardships for legitimate massage establishments as their entire operation can be shut down by one rogue employee trying to make an extra buck.

That was precisely the concern raised by the Miyako Hotel at a recent hearing on the subject.  A representative from that Hotel worried that the Hotel’s spa could be closed due to the actions of only one employee.  The representative also mentioned that the services provided by the spa were a major component of the Hotel as those services are an integral part of the Japanese culture – a key clientale of the Miyako Hotel.  Implementing the ordinance could serve another blow to the Asian business community that is already reeling after the recent announcement that Toyota will move its Torrance based headquarters to Texas.

Will this ordinance have the intended effect of limiting the growth of seedy massage establishments that are nothing more than fronts for prostitution?  Or will it further degrade the ability of legitimate businesses to operate within Torrance?  The City Council will grapple with these questions when they decide the issue at the Council meeting this coming Tuesday night.

This issue also raises another interesting question that is ancillary to the matter but worthy of debate.  With burglaries and car thefts on the rise in Torrance, is having the TPD officers go undercover soliciting and apparently receiving “happy endings” the best use of the TPD’s limited resources?

It was a historic and emotional evening at City Hall last night as the community welcomed a new City Council and said goodbye to many very familiar faces.  Tears were shed by many of the outgoing members, including Mayor Scotto, as they recalled their many years of service to the community and thanked many of those in attendance who had supported them along the way.

Torrance might never again have so many years of accumulated service all leaving the chambers at the same time.  The combined years spent leading our city by Mayor Scotto, Councilmembers Brewer and Sutherland, as well as City Clerk Sue Herbers exceeds well over 50.   Their volunteerism goes far beyond that as each of them served in various capacities prior to assuming city leadership roles.  I couldn’t help but marvel at the time each of these dedicated community servants has spent in support of our community.  As evidenced by the standing ovations each one of them received, it’s clear their service has had a lasting effect and that their legacy will live on among many in the community.

The community also had the opportunity to welcome and hear from the new council.  Mayor Furey took the opportunity to outline his three initial priorities as he assumes office.  Those priorities are as follows:

1)      Conduct a Public Works Workshop: Furey tasked the Public Works Department to provide a report showing the 5 year infrastructure plan, current funding status, and planned Measure R projects.  The report will be presented to Council in the near future.

2)      Redesign of City Website:  This initiative will explore a redesign that will create visually attractive pages, adopt a user centric approach, and create search optimization and site usability.

3)      View Impairment (Tree) Ordinance: City Staff to research the issue utilizing models from neighboring cities and present a plan to council within 60 days.

During the meeting, Furey also took what appeared to be a veiled shot at Nick Green and the Daily Breeze.  Speaking with regard to what he termed as “gossip” in the community about the upcoming council appointment, Furey cautioned residents “to consider the source” claiming that the source in question was “generally incorrect.”  He then concluded by stating, “so don’t always believe everything you read.”

Former Police Officer and Planning Commissioner and now Councilmember Geoff Rizzo offered his sincere thanks to many in the community that had supported him and helped him get elected and promised to give it his best.

Tim Goodrich, the youngest councilmember by far, also offered thanks to many in the community.  He concluded his remarks by making a comparison to himself and the recently passed, local legend, Louis Zamperini.  He noted that they both had lived in Western New York, both ran track, went to USC, served in the Air Force, and made Torrance their home.  Goodrich then offered that he would be honored and consider his work done if, during his time on the council, he could live up to be half the man that Zamperini was.

It should be interesting to see what course these new leaders will follow as they take the torch from those experienced leaders that Torrance was forced to say goodbye to last night.

The newly elected Mayor and City Council will be formally installed at the upcoming meeting on Tuesday.   One of the first matters that will come before them is what to do about filling the vacancy created by the unexpired councilmember term of now Mayor Pat Furey.  Filling this vacancy is critical as the individual could easily end up serving as a councilmember for the next 10 years as the initial two year period would not count against the two term limit.  The Council has two options: they can either use their authority to appoint a new member; or they can decide to hold a special election to fill the position.  Either way, the decision is sure to cause a stir within the community.

After a recently concluded divisive mayoral election, selecting someone by appointment may lead to further fissures in the community.  Should the Council choose this option, a possible selection, and probably the least controversial choice would be Leilani Kimmel-Dagastino.  It could be argued that she earned the appointment by finishing 5^th in the recent election – only one slot shy of the winner’s circle.

Dagastino, however, is a Republican and was heavily supported by that party in the recent election.  Newly elected Mayor Furey is a Democrat.  He may risk alienating his base by selecting a Republican, such as Dagastino, to the position.  No other viable Democratic candidates remain among the pool of 12 unsuccessful candidates in the past election as the field was dominated by Republicans.  That may be why rumors are swirling that Furey is looking beyond the recent field of candidates in search of an appointee.  Some voices, such as those found here, are claiming that a backdoor deal has already been cut to appoint Ray Uchima.  Such a decision will likely not to be a popular one amongst the community at large.

Given the above, I hope the Council will give more consideration to allowing the voting public to decide the matter through a special election.  Sadly, the idea of a special election seems to have gained little traction with the Council due to the expense.  The City Clerk, who provided an unsubstantiated estimate of $200K for the costs, admitted in the staff report that the City has not solicited a firm quote. I believe it would be a shame for the Council to move to appoint someone, especially an individual that didn’t run in the recent election, without exercising due diligence in order to gain a full understanding of the actual costs associated with conducting the election.

A quick Internet search reveals that the costs of an election can vary widely depending on how the election is conducted.   Vote by Mail options reduce costs significantly.  The cost of that option can be reduced even further by requiring voters to provide their own return postage.  I found some information showing that cities utilizing the vote by mail option reported costs as little as $1.25 per voter.  California cities such as Lake Forest and Livermore recently held special elections at a total cost of $39K and $50K respectively.  To further reduce costs, Torrance could even consider options such as limiting the special election to only those that voted in the June election.  My point here is that there are options available that are worth fully considering before the council rushes to make an appointment.

Just in the last few months, Torrance has approved expenditures such as $75K for AYSO banners put on city street lights, $146K to promote ridesharing amongst city employees, and $75K to hold an hour and a half optional ethics class.  The Council didn’t blink an eye in approving these, and other more costly measures, yet seems to be balking a great deal at the cost of holding an election; something that is at the core of our democratic and governmental process.  Why is that?