Torrance City Council Regular Meeting - July 16, 2024

The Torrance City Council held a regular meeting on July 16, 2024, beginning with a closed session at 5:00 PM and reconvening in public session at approximately 6:30 PM. The council addressed multiple administrative matters, including participation in a national opioid litigation settlement, a discussion on council compensation as a charter amendment, and approval of a $4.625 million recruitment and retention incentive pilot program. Public comment included concerns about police oversight, airport fund charter provisions, and community engagement.

Council Committee Meetings and Announcements

• Councilmember Gerson asked for concurrence to bring back an item comparing Torrance's regulations to neighboring beach communities regarding strand activity (unanimous concurrence).
• Councilmember Lewis requested concurrence to explore joining the California Contract Cities Association; concurrence was not given.
• Councilmember Kalani announced a new pickleball information page on the city's Trending in Torrance website.
• Councilmember Sheikh requested City Attorney Patrick Sullivan to clarify that the proposed charter amendment to remove Article 15 (airport fund) does not close the airport or eliminate the fund, but simply removes outdated language to align with other charter provisions. Sullivan confirmed this.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Oral Communications #1:
  • Rick Marshall questioned the impact of removing Article 15 from the charter and suggested returning to the older format where council discusses items before public comment.
  • Charles Salinas urged drivers to be more considerate of bus operators by letting them merge back into traffic.
  • Carrie (last name not given) demanded the creation of an independent civilian oversight commission for the Torrance Police Department, citing the killing of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, and criticized the process of firing officers.
  • Mary Ann proposed using the existing personnel/civil service commission as a venue for public complaints, held at an accessible time and location outside the police department.
  • Mr. Ortiz (District 2) criticized the council for not walking their districts, not increasing public comment time to two minutes, and perceived lack of community engagement.
  • Andy Porchop (later as "Stretchmark") humorously announced his retirement from commenting and moving to Japan to become a sumo wrestler, also supported previous speakers.
• Oral Communications #2:
  • Jack Valeri (from TSCA) commented that one minute is too short for important topics, and noted that financial compensation matters to attract younger people to run for office.
  • A speaker invited the council to an art museum reception on July 27.

Discussion Items

• 9A. Opioid Litigation Settlement with Kroger Co.: City Attorney Patrick Sullivan presented a resolution to participate in the nationwide settlement with Kroger Co. The total settlement amount is $1.4 billion nationally; Torrance's share is not yet determined, as it depends on the number of participating subdivisions. Councilmember Kaji asked about the city's potential share. After public comment (Andy Porchop expressed support but skepticism about fund allocation), the council unanimously adopted Resolution 2024-52.
• 9B. Council Compensation Charter Amendment: This item was brought back due to a prior 3-3 tie vote on setting council compensation at minimum wage. Councilmembers discussed whether to include this change in the upcoming charter amendment ballot measure. Councilmember Lewis expressed concern that bundling might cause the entire measure to fail; City Clerk provided cost estimates: two separate measures would cost $395,302.56 (one measure cost not provided). Councilmember Kalani opposed, stating that compensation increase (approximately $33,000 per councilmember annually) is too soon after the recent SST tax and could total over a quarter million dollars. Councilmember Kaji supported, citing the need to update the outdated charter and to attract mid-career candidates. Councilmember Matucci argued that attracting working-class people requires at least minimum wage; councilmember Sheikh emphasized updating illegal charter language. Councilmember Gerson voted against, stating service should be a higher calling, not driven by money. Mayor Chen supported. Final vote: 5-2, with Councilmembers Gerson and Kalani voting no. The motion directed staff to include the compensation adjustment in the charter amendment for the ballot.
• 9C. Enhanced Recruitment and Retention Incentive Pilot Program: City Manager's Office presented a $4,625,000 annual program (utilizing existing vacancy savings) to address staffing shortages, especially in the police department. Categories include new hire and lateral police officer incentives, retention bonuses for sworn and professional staff, dispatcher incentives, and early retirement notification. The program is a 5-year pilot with annual updates. Councilmember Kalani supported, thanking police unions and staff. Councilmember Sheikh clarified it uses approved budget funds, not new money. Finance Director Rebecca Poizner confirmed it uses vacancy savings and is a worst-case scenario estimate. Public comment included Andy Porchop questioning why a well-paid department struggles to recruit; another speaker from District 2 sought clarification (Mayor explained briefly). Council unanimously approved.

Key Outcomes

• Resolution 2024-52 regarding Kroger opioid settlement adopted unanimously.
• Charter Amendment for Council Compensation to be included in upcoming ballot measure; motion passed 5-2 (Councilmembers Gerson and Kalani dissenting).n- Enhanced Recruitment and Retention Pilott Program approved unemployed, with $4,625,000 annually from existing vacancy savings. Program will be monitored with annual reports and can be adjusted by city manager or council.
• Meeting adjourned at approximately 10:18 PM (per agenda) to next regular meeting on July 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM for closed session.