Torrance City Council Regular Meeting – August 13, 2024

The Torrance City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, beginning with a 5:00 p.m. closed session and reconvening for regular business at about 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber. The council acted on parking penalties, Measure M school safety funding, public-conduct ordinances related to homelessness, a South Bay COG Good Neighbor Pledge, a development agreement for a mixed-use project, and routine consent items. The meeting adjourned at about 10:07 p.m.

Opening and Closed Session Report

• The council recessed to closed session for agenda items 14A (public employee discipline) and 14B (labor negotiations).
• Upon reconvening, Deputy City Manager Viet Huang reported that items 10A and 14A were continued to Tuesday, September 10, 2024.

Council Committee Meetings and Announcements

• Councilmember Mattucci thanked agencies involved in the August 10 response to a deceased 40-foot juvenile fin whale at Torrance Beach.
• Councilmember Kaji announced that a Request for Proposals for the WWII Japanese American internment camp memorial at Columbia Park will open August 14, with proposals due August 28, 2024.
• Councilmember Kaji received 7-0 concurrence to study the possible annexation of the unincorporated El Camino Village area, described as about 1,500 single-family dwellings bounded by Marine Avenue, Crenshaw Boulevard, Redondo Beach Boulevard, and Prairie Avenue.
• Councilmember Kalani received 7-0 concurrence to have staff work with organizers of the proposed 2025 Irish Fair and Music Festival on potential city in-kind support and to return with a fee and assistance package.

Community Matters: Retirees and Youth Council

• The council adopted Resolution 2024-54 honoring Manuel Olloque Jr. (36 years), Resolution 2024-55 honoring Agnes NgWun (34 years), and Resolution 2024-57 honoring Taunja Chang (27 years). Resolution 2024-56 honoring Gordon Jeffers was deferred.
• The council appointed 18 students to the 2024-25 Torrance Youth Council; the City Clerk administered the Oath of Office.

Oral Communications #1

• Several speakers criticized Torrance Police Department accountability, referencing Christopher DeAndre Mitchell, a swastika painted on an impounded car, texting scandals, and lawsuits. They called for more transparency and community trust.
• A temple representative invited the council to an India Independence Day community event.
• Peter Brown, president of the Torrance Airport Association, spoke against the proposal to remove Article 15 from the city charter, saying it would reduce transparency and accountability for the airport fund.
• Andy Porchop complained about the lack of printed meeting materials and the cost of audio-visual upgrades.

Consent Calendar

• With items 8F and 8G pulled for separate discussion, the council unanimously approved the remaining consent items, including minutes, the 2023-24 Civil Service Commission annual report, a $403,133.82 cooperative purchase for two tractors, a $25,357.19 change order for three Ford E-Transit cargo vans, Youth Council workshop authorization, a job description for Capital Projects Construction Superintendent, a $50,227 contract amendment for the Del Amo Technology Center EIR, a CEQA exemption and consent for AutoNation Acura South Bay EV charging improvements, and a third lease amendment with T-Mobile at Sea Aire Golf Course.
• The council then separately approved the May and June 2024 investment reports; Councilmember Gerson suggested adding explanatory commentary to future monthly reports.

Item 9A – Parking Violation Penalty Schedule

• Police Chief Hart presented a resolution increasing parking fines by 20% to align with surveyed cities, adding California Vehicle Code Section 22500N, and renaming the schedule from bail schedule to penalty schedule. Fines had not been adjusted since 2014.
• Public commenters opposed the increase, saying it would burden people living in vehicles and unhoused residents.
• Councilmembers debated street sweeping fines: Councilmember Lewis asked to lower or further study the $52 street sweeping fine because of impacts on lower-income residents and high-density neighborhoods; Councilmember Sheikh asked for data on outstanding tickets and a risk-based approach; Councilmember Mattucci supported the schedule, noting the city does not recover the full cost of enforcement.
• The council adopted Resolution 2024-58 by a 5-2 vote, with Councilmembers Gerson and Lewis voting no, with the understanding that separate street sweeping and technology data would come back to council.

Item 9B – Measure M School Safety Funding

• The Public Works Director requested approval of a second amendment extending the lapse date of $7.185 million in Measure M funds for the Torrance School Safety and Accessibility Program (I-188), awarded in 2019.
• Staff cited COVID-related delay and a longer community-engaged design process. Work around Fern and Seaside elementary schools is under construction; work around Carr, Anza, Walteria, and Torrance elementary schools is in design. Completion was projected for late 2025 or early 2026.
• The council approved the amendment unanimously.

Item 9C – Public Conduct Ordinances and Good Neighbor Pledge

• City Attorney's Office representative Jean-Marie Littman explained the U.S. Supreme Court's Grants Pass v. Johnson decision and recommended removing the Martin v. Boise shelter-availability requirement from Torrance Municipal Code Section 45.6.6, amending park fire rules, and adding new codes on fires in public places, shelters in public places, and bus stop loitering.
• The proposed enforcement ranges include infractions ($100/$200/$500 for successive violations) or misdemeanors; the city attorney's office noted criminal enforcement alone is not a solution and cited state funding tied to housing-first services.
• Public comment included a South Bay Cities Council of Governments representative (Ronson) speaking in support of the pledge and praising Torrance's outreach, as well as profanity-laced and racist outbursts.
• Council discussion emphasized maintaining the city's service-first model while adding enforcement tools. Some councilmembers expressed concerns about the Good Neighbor Pledge, including Torrance's role as a regional hub with three hospitals and the risk of receiving people discharged from other cities.
• The council unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 3933 (items 1 and 2 of the recommendation). A motion by Councilmember Kalani to adopt the South Bay Cities Council of Governments Good Neighbor Pledge was then approved.

Item 10B – Gable House Development Agreement (Public Hearing)

• Community Development Director Michelle Ramirez presented a development agreement for the previously approved Gable House mixed-use project at 22501 Hawthorne Boulevard: 218 apartment units and 12,000 square feet of commercial floor area, including 17 very low-income units and a 32.5% density bonus.
• The project has a total DIF obligation of $1,575,224.48, reduced by $112,587.90 for affordable housing and up to $397,600.54 for underground utility work along 226th Street, leaving $1,065,036.04. The agreement also allows up to a 12-month deferral of EV charging equipment installation after the final certificate of occupancy.
• The Planning Commission recommended approval on July 24, 2024. Staff noted a scrivener's error in the agenda title; the correct CEQA exemption is Section 15332 (infill development), not 15061(b)(3).
• Two members of the public spoke during the hearing: one opposed the project using profanity and one sarcastically suggested more stories and retail/manufacturing space.
• The council closed the hearing and unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 3934 approving the development agreement, the ordinance summary for publication, and the CEQA exemption under Section 15332.

Oral Communications #2

• Councilmembers reported on community events, including the employee appreciation picnic, Madrona Marsh's 50th anniversary, the Nisei Week parade, National Night Out, and the Little Mermaid at the Torrance Theater Company. Councilmember Gerson described concerns about senior homelessness and an 80-year-old mobile home resident facing eviction after 12 years of on-time rent.
• Councilmembers also addressed chamber decorum, expressing disappointment at profane and racist public comments during the meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Continued closed-session items 10A and 14A to September 10, 2024.
• Adopted retiree resolutions and appointed the 2024-25 Torrance Youth Council.
• Approved the consent calendar and the May/June 2024 investment reports.
• Adopted Resolution 2024-58 (parking penalty schedule) 5-2 with Gerson and Lewis dissenting.
• Approved the Measure M funding agreement amendment unanimously.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 3933 unanimously and approved the Good Neighbor Pledge.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 3934 and CEQA exemption for the Gable House development agreement unanimously.
• Concurred 7-0 to study El Camino Village annexation and to explore Irish Fair in-kind support.
• Adjourned in honor of Dominic Ionetti to August 20, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. for closed session and 6:30 p.m. for regular business.