Torrance Crushes Hopes of Little Old Lady and Very Sick Husband
The City Council crushed the hopes of Susan Startup who appeared at the Council meeting last Tuesday to request that the City allow the sale of a commercial property, that she owns with her husband, to a developer who intended to build a car wash on the site.
In an emotional appearance, she pled with the council by stating, “This is our retirement. If you take that away from us, we don’t have nothing.” Near tears, she later said, “We really need this, more than you realize.”
Susan also submitted a letter to the Council prior to the meeting as she was concerned she might not be able to attend due to the failing health of her husband Frank. In the letter, she wrote:
“It is my intention to attend the City Council meeting. However, due to the fact that my husband, who is 90 years old, is in the hospital, yesterday just having his condition upgraded from serious to stable, I am writing this letter in case, God forbid, his condition regresses. Given the magnitude of this matter in our lives, he has insisted that I leave his side and be driven from Temecula to Torrance to address this matter in person with you.”
In the letter, Susan described her and Frank as simple working class people that had earned a living by working very, very hard for 44 years to sustain a locksmith and a bicycle business that they built on the property.
Susan closed her letter by writing:
“I appeal to your sense of empathy and general understanding to realize that my husband, children and I need to complete this deal so that we can live out our remaining time knowing that the business we built and the property we made so many sacrifices to buy will, in the end, provide for Frank and I to not live in fear of running out of money”
The property at 2355 Sepulveda Blvd is located in an M-2 Zone which, per the buyer’s’ attorney who also appeared at the meeting, allows car wash uses “by right.” To support his claim, the attorney cited Torrance Municipal Code section 95.3.20 which states as follows:
“Automatic car washing, clean and polishing, conditionally permitted in C-3, C-4, and C-5 zones. No such permit required in M-1 and M-2 zones.”
The staff report acknowledged that a car wash was a permitted use under existing zoning guidelines, but expressed concern that the, “further introduction of car wash uses, where located near or adjacent to residential uses, have the potential to create annoying and excess noise emitting from car wash equipment and general operations.”
In order to further study the issue, City staff recommended that the Council adopt an urgency ordinance that established a temporary moratorium on the issuance of business licenses and permits which pertain to car wash uses. In order to do so, the Council needed to make a legislative finding that the introduction of carwash uses resulted in an immediate threat to public health, safety, or welfare.
The buyer’s attorney and several other representatives argued that no such threat existed with this particular car wash and offered voluminous evidence to that effect. Nobody from the public spoke against the project at the meeting and no complaints about the proposed car wash were included in the staff report.
Despite the lack of opposition to the car wash, the Council was not persuaded by Susan’s plea or any of the arguments offered by the buyer and ended up adopting the proposed moratorium by unanimous vote. The moratorium effectively kills the sale of the property unless the parties can return to Council at a later date and convince City officials that their project merits a waiver to the moratorium.
This is DISGUSTING, ABHORRENT, UNJUSTIFIED, AND AGAINST THE RIGHTS OF OWNERSHIP RIGHTS, FREEDOMS, AND LIBERTIES GUARANTEED IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Since when can a city dictate the sale of a personal property from one person to another by denying the parties right to sell and buy. Since the city only recently enacted this moratorium and this arrangement has been in process for a longer time than just immediately. This is an invasion of the Rights, Freedoms, and Liberties regarding the way they wish to live and survive. I believe the prospective buyer and the seller should request a court to issue injunctive relief through a Court Order declaring the sale is in fact legal and the parties concerned should proceed without city interference. If the city attempts to appeal then the city should pay for all lost revenue to both parties who have been injured by the city enjoining them from completion of their business agreements. I further believe the city should be sanctioned by the County Board of Supervisors for such devious behaviour as has been conducted by a crooked Mayor and Council who have no respect for citizens rights. I would hope that a court would slap a fine on the City of Torrance to make them understand they do not have authority to make a change at the last minute to an agreed to business arrangement that will not harm the city in any way. This is the dumbest most severe demonstration of the stupidity of this City and those who sit on this Council at present. All need to be taught better and all need to think before they act on short notice and the effects that they have may impact someones life.
I saw this meeting and was shocked! I was shocked at how this City chose to deal with it’s failure to appropriately zone this property appropriately in the first place! And what did this City do when they found their “pants” down? Why, they ask the city council for a moritorium on car wash business licenses, of course. Despicable! They issue the moritorium. But, they verbally state that if the buyer/license applicee can work out a written agreement (regarding hours of operation: vacuum cleaner location: noise, etc.) then this presently constituted council may lift the moritorium they imposed, or exempt this property, before the new council is sworn in on July 11 (the next council meeting). I found councilman Rizzo’s analogy of approving the moritorium to force the applicant to meet with the city attorney to moving vehicle warnings tickets to force repairs, or correct licensure problems. Here’s the flaw of his analogy. This property owner did nothing wrong. The proposed buyer did nothing wrong!!!! Nothing!
This City backdoored this business license denial by halting it thru the improper use of seeking a moritorium as the procedural “vehicle”. Doing land management in this manner makes our City UGLY!
According to this posting, the council vote was unanimous. That is surprising because when I voted for the 2 new councilmen, Matussi and Chen, I expected that they would be the start of cleaning up the Torrance swamp. If this is an example of the begining of their term on the city council I am very disappointed. We better see some opposition to the othe council members actions. I will remember.
Jim McGee,
Aurelio Matucci and George Chen are Councilmembers-elect. That is, your vote made them eligible to be sworn n as Councilmembers, but their swearing-in will occur on July 10, 2018 after the current Councilmembers have had a chance to revisit this item. Currently, Heidi Ascraft and Kurt Weideman are still the Councilmembers that are participating in this decision.
Patrick, thanks for correcting my “jumping the gun”. The unanimous vote might show the reason a few of us saw a reason to make a few changes in the Torrance swamp.
Time to recall Furey.
Furey should have never been voted in. I would be happy to join that effort!
If the buyer had contributed to Fureys campaign you would be writing a different outcome to this story. They need to take classes for Anastasi builder.
Furey cannot be recalled for at least six months after an election. Does Brewer and his internal polls think once again he can walk the city to get elected…Sutherland probably thought that too…and of course Kurt could have spend a few more bucks to get elected…oh that sounds like Brewer too saying only if….by the way Riggs did not cost Brewer the election..>Riggs got votes from people that opposed Furey and Brewer…so one on one Furey would get some of Riggs Vote…of course the downtown twins were probably sleeping on election night past the bed time…they always like to complain about others sleeping on the job…LOL
Two Council Wins and Two Mayors Wins…still goes equals a loser after Gentleman Al wins big.
Dear Anonymous: I agree that Furey should have never been voted in, but your hiding behind ANONYMOUS gives me the idea you don’t really strongly believe that. When or if there is a serious effort to recall him I would expect your name and donation would be up front. Also it can’t be one of the downtown twins running again.
You people are nuts. Recalling somebody who just got re-elected by a bigger margin than their original election before they are even sworn in. Crazy
does one think Anonymous could possibly be related to Torrance Truth..makes one wonder…hint the downtown twins are not the candidates…think more like who signs you in when you come to the party…thanks for listening…and Go Al Go.
Sorry those anonymous posts are not “Torrance Truth.” Wishful thinking. But thanks for thinking of me!
Who are the downtown twins?
notice the posting times for Torrance Truth and Anonymous…within one minute !
He’s back again…
Ok but good question. Who are the downtown twins?
Happy to go away just as soon as you stop randomly mentioning me on various online boards. Get over it, it was a long time ago and you were one of my biggest fans!
continue on anonymous and Torrance Truth…you get two posts in three minutes…not as fast as one minute maybe your giving my thinking then one minute now…..
Always good to know what the family wants the citizens to think or is it just the hidden message within
any word on when your going for the billboard signs…maybe the first advertiser will be the an ambulance co..
Cheers
GREAT IDEA! Time to put billboards everywhere!!! Especially in your backyard. Better how about we imminent domain your house and then put the bill board there?!?!
Less than a minute!
CHEERS!
apparently sensitive to the truth I guess……but it was more then a minute check the date stamp…ps Maxie retires in four more and papa has a new office to run for..
question of the century..can a civil attorney be a prosecutor?
Sorry Ralphs answer man…you should have challenged that four years ago
Why should anyone help you then…you ran both races ..your way
when we they get it…knocking on all those doors and hearing all
that great feedback with the crew..does not translate to a Win
Sr and Jr knew that …now lets design the first billboard with
flashing lights too ..expect between the billboard design the new
task is to eliminate term limits in case Maxie decides to keep on running for office
That didn’t even make sense. Drunken ramblings?
A.A….has that word in it…okay….rest for 4….streets paved and trash picked up ..coyotes under control…and then run for Maxie seat if open …
LOL run for congress. you clearly do not even know the person.
its all in the plan..I am sure its been discussed in the family meetings..
Only every night at dinner.
must be a very early dinner on most Tuesdays
Obviously we take Tuesday off from our “cheat the world” plans. Duh.
wow desperate giving up the Vector $100 trying to get any support since the loss of the guaranteed vote supporter..and the choice shows desperation time setting in….you get the drift
I don’t get any of that. Not sure what you are talking about because you don’t type in complete sentences or with any known sentence structure.
check your mirror and read your incomplete…
Intelligent
odd things happening in a very normal city
how sad
a ‘normal city’ is one where there is a runoff for Mayor if a candidate does not receive 50 percent of the vote…
‘normal’ for who ..Truth
Such as what city near Torrance?
duh Redondo start there Jr