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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Torrance Municipal Programming Summary — April 1, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, April 1, 2025

BodyTorrance, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, April 1, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:07

Hi everyone, welcome to Pulse of the Fort.

0:10

I'm your host, Sean Horrid.

0:11

Today I am here on Anaheim Street, right next to the Los Angeles River.

0:15

On the edge of the Harbor District, it's one of the many places that the Port of Long Beach is helping to build a better tomorrow.

0:21

But before I share more about exactly what's going to be happening here, let's take a look at our first story and learn about how automobiles like many of the ones whizzing behind me right now are unloaded by SSA Marine.

0:35

Imagine unloading more than a thousand Volkswagen beetles from a cargo vessel using a system of ropes and pulleys.

0:42

That's how they did it back in 1960.

0:45

Or how about a crate of Volvos?

0:47

Sound like hard, time-consuming work?

0:51

You bet.

0:53

But in the early 1970s, right about the time the imported car craze came to America, shipbuilders introduced a new class of vessel that put an end to the madness.

1:12

They're called Roros.

1:14

Roll-on, roll off vessels.

1:17

They take advantage of the fact that cars have wheels.

1:21

Today's Roro vessels are like massive floating garages with enough space for more than 6,000 vehicles.

1:32

Workers now safely drive the cars from ship to dock in record time.

1:37

SSA Marine, which handles vessel operations at Toyota's Pier B terminal, recently had its hands full with 3,000 brand new Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models.

1:48

What

Speaker 2

1:48

we're doing today is we're discharging about 3,000 cars that were loaded about two weeks ago in the port of Toyahashi in Japan.

1:56

The voyage took about two weeks to come across the Pacific Ocean.

1:59

We hire about 150 total people to do the job today.

2:03

Ship shows up, we hire all the labor, and magically all the cars come off.

Speaker 1

2:09

It's like watching a relay race with cars.

2:12

ILWU workers are transported by shuttle into the vessel through a side ramp and deck by deck, row by row, they drive the cars in a steady stream toward the stern deck and out into the terminal's massive parking area where each car is accounted for and parked in a designated space.

2:30

Then it's back into the shuttle to start the process all over again.

2:39

But before any cars can be unloaded, they must first be unlashed.

Speaker 2

2:44

We have what's called a lashing gang.

2:46

They come out before any of the drivers go up on board the ship.

2:49

They get down in very awkward positions and they unhook or unlash these straps that affix the cars to the decks of the vehicle.

2:56

Sometimes the ships hit bad weather, so the cars have to be very secure on the ship, or you'd have a big jumble of cars jumping all over the

Speaker 1

3:04

ship.

3:05

Seems simple enough, but just imagine the damage that would occur if a driver tried to pull away with the vehicle still lashed to the ship.

3:12

And there's another surprising challenge to this job.

Speaker 2

3:18

Technology helps us all, but on a ship like this, we may have 30 different models of vehicles.

3:24

So we ask our drivers to quickly get in the cars that they've never been in before and learn how to start the cars, how to put it in gear.

3:32

The keys don't look like normal keys anymore.

3:34

They're like a fob or a little square rectangle.

3:37

Some of those you have to put up to a start button and hold it there for a couple seconds.

3:40

And I must say that the ILW does a fantastic job in getting up on the ship, getting in each car and driving it off very efficiently.

Speaker 1

3:47

Toyota alone holds 15% of the market share of U.S.

Unassigned speaker

3:51

auto sales, and there are more than 1,500 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion dealerships in America.

Speaker 1

3:57

Toyota also supports about 365,000 jobs across the country.

4:02

So as you might have guessed, this

Speaker 2

4:03

terminal stays busy.

4:05

It averages out to about a ship and a half a week or about uh six or seven ships, maybe eight ships on a good month.

4:12

Very swift process.

4:13

Cars don't stay here very long.

4:14

They move very quickly to the dealers, and then ultimately to the end user, which is URI.

Speaker 1

4:19

Some of these cars will be delivered to local dealerships via car transporter.

4:23

Others travel by train to distribution centers for dealerships that are more than 400 miles away from the port of Long Beach.

4:30

Between SSA's Pier F Brake Vault Terminal, where they unload thousands of cars from Mercedes Benz and the work they do at Toyota's Pier B terminal, SSA is participating in a job-generating business at the Port of Long Beach that reaches across our entire economy.

Speaker 2

4:46

Well, every ship has tens of millions of dollars coming into the port.

4:50

It creates a lot of ILW jobs, a lot of jobs for the local communities.

Unassigned speaker

4:54

We're very grateful for people buying Toyotas and Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and uh we hope the engine just keeps going forward.

Speaker 1

5:01

It was truly amazing to see the precision and speed with which all those cars are unloaded.

5:06

Makes me think all new cars should come with a how to operate training video.

5:10

After all, some guys like me are still starting our cars uh the old-fashioned way.

5:18

After the break, we'll check on what's new at Long Beach's very own Colorado Lagoon.

5:30

Welcome back to Pulse of the Port.

5:32

The plans for Anaheim Street in the coming years are truly transformative.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Arts And Culture██████████████████████████████████34%

Miscellaneous████████████████████████24%

Public Health Awareness██████████10%

Parks and Recreation██████6%

Waste Management██████6%

Port Management███3%

Technology and Innovation███3%

Opera Production███3%

Transportation██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Torrance Municipal Programming Summary — April 1, 2025

This summary covers the supplied raw transcription for April 1, 2025. No agenda, minutes, or meeting start/end times were available. The transcript is not a formal city council or commission meeting; it appears to be a compilation of Torrance and Port of Long Beach public-access and community programming, including repeated promotional segments and PSAs. No formal motions, votes, or public testimony can be identified from this material.

Source Note

The agenda and minutes are marked unavailable. The raw transcription contains no parliamentary procedure, roll call, staff reports, council deliberations, or resolutions.
The supplied timestamp associated with the material is 2025-04-01 14:30:00+00:00; no meeting duration or agenda time range is given.

Consent Calendar

None present. No routine approvals or unanimous actions are included in the transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

None present. No members of the public addressed a city council or commission.

Program Segments

Pulse of the Port (Port of Long Beach): The program showed SSA Marine unloading approximately 3,000 new Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles at Toyota's Pier B terminal after a two-week voyage from Toyohashi, Japan. The segment noted about 150 ILWU workers per ship, roll-on/roll-off vessels capable of carrying more than 6,000 vehicles, Toyota's 15% share of U.S. auto sales, more than 1,500 dealerships, and about 365,000 U.S. jobs supported by Toyota. It also covered the completed Colorado Lagoon restoration phase, including removal of approximately 63,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment during a nearly eight-month dredging project, the cleanest water-quality rating at the lagoon in 50 years, nearly $2 million in direct port funding since 2007, and an additional $2 million saved through port acceptance of dredge material.
Port infrastructure and jobs: The transcript described the proposed Pier S terminal, the visit of the MSC Beatrice at Pier T, and the Middle Harbor terminal project. The MSC Beatrice was described as 1,200 feet long, with a maximum capacity of 13,800 container units, and as the largest container vessel to dock at a North American port at the time; the port's 76-foot-deep channel was called the deepest man-made channel in North America. The Middle Harbor project was described as combining two older terminals into one facility that would double capacity, support 14,000 new jobs, and cut air pollution in half.
Port community programs: The program highlighted the Let's Talk Port forum series and the Eye on Design public-art education program, which served 330 students at three schools and created six mosaic public-art pieces in the prior year.
Torrance Transit 75th-anniversary history: The segment traced bus service from the Pacific Electric Red Car era and the city's approval of its own municipal bus line in January 1940. It reported that ridership grew from about 10,000 in the first year to more than four million boardings in the past year. It also described modern CNG buses, a planned transit center at Crenshaw Boulevard and Maricopa Street, and a future Metro Green Line connection.
Curiosity Quest Goes Green - car recycling: This educational segment followed cars through Pacific Coast Recycling and the Tamco steel mill. It reported that roughly 75 to 80% of a car can be recycled, that the shredded steel is melted and rolled into rebar, and that steel from one 20-foot billet can be formed into three nearly 1,000-foot lengths. A fun-fact graphic stated that auto recycling reduces air pollution by 86% and that annual U.S. steel recycling saves enough energy to heat and light 18 million homes.
Health and wellness programming: A chair-circuit exercise segment led by Monica of LA Parks demonstrated seated cardio and resistance routines. A Senior Scene segment on sun safety featured Torrance dermatologist Dr. Philip Valentine and melanoma survivors, including an 83-year-old patient who had four melanoma surgeries and a 67-year-old surfer; recommendations included sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, protective clothing, and avoiding peak sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Local business features: Segments featured Zeba Beauty, a family-owned threading, waxing, and henna business opening its 10th studio in Torrance; the CEO reported 35 years in business, a 75% drop in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, safety-focused appointment-only operations, and a plan to rebuild and hire. Another feature profiled Cisco, a Torrance sourcing and product-development company led by Neil Kay and his sons, highlighting products such as the Rally Flip Cap and the Chill Time ice wrap.
Arts and culture programming: A craft segment with A to Z Scrapbooking owner Vivian showed how to make a card using cardboard, dictionary paper, tissue paper, and a paper bag. A Jazz Notes interview featured guitarists Jorge Strunz and Arishir Farah, who described their 24-year collaboration, their album Desert Guitars, and their blend of flamenco, Middle Eastern, and jazz styles. An Opera Talk segment discussed Samuel Barber's Vanessa, its 1958 Metropolitan Opera premiere, and recordings of the work.

Notable Positions and Advocacy

Port and Harbor Commission spokespersons expressed commitment to community projects and to improving infrastructure to attract larger ships.
An SSA Marine representative expressed gratitude for vehicle sales and said the hope is that the car-unloading business continues.
A public-service announcement by American Community Television urged viewers to contact Congress in support of the Community Access Preservation Act, saying cable and telephone industry lobbying threatened public, educational, and government access channels and that communities had already lost more than 100 stations.
Torrance Transit employees and retirees expressed pride in the agency's service to seniors, students, and hospital riders and said teamwork is central to its success.
Zeba Beauty's CEO expressed determination to rebuild the business with a safety-first model and to expand through partnerships and licensing.
Cisco founder Neil Kay advised entrepreneurs to work hard, delay gratification, and bring innovation to the market rather than duplicating existing products.

Key Outcomes

No formal decisions, votes, resolutions, ordinances, contracts, appointments, or referrals are present in the transcript.
The only action requested of viewers in the supplied material was to support and advocate for the CAP Act by contacting members of Congress.

Meeting Transcript

Hi everyone, welcome to Pulse of the Fort. I'm your host, Sean Horrid. Today I am here on Anaheim Street, right next to the Los Angeles River. On the edge of the Harbor District, it's one of the many places that the Port of Long Beach is helping to build a better tomorrow. But before I share more about exactly what's going to be happening here, let's take a look at our first story and learn about how automobiles like many of the ones whizzing behind me right now are unloaded by SSA Marine. Imagine unloading more than a thousand Volkswagen beetles from a cargo vessel using a system of ropes and pulleys. That's how they did it back in 1960. Or how about a crate of Volvos? Sound like hard, time-consuming work? You bet. But in the early 1970s, right about the time the imported car craze came to America, shipbuilders introduced a new class of vessel that put an end to the madness. They're called Roros. Roll-on, roll off vessels. They take advantage of the fact that cars have wheels. Today's Roro vessels are like massive floating garages with enough space for more than 6,000 vehicles. Workers now safely drive the cars from ship to dock in record time. SSA Marine, which handles vessel operations at Toyota's Pier B terminal, recently had its hands full with 3,000 brand new Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models. What we're doing today is we're discharging about 3,000 cars that were loaded about two weeks ago in the port of Toyahashi in Japan. The voyage took about two weeks to come across the Pacific Ocean. We hire about 150 total people to do the job today. Ship shows up, we hire all the labor, and magically all the cars come off. It's like watching a relay race with cars. ILWU workers are transported by shuttle into the vessel through a side ramp and deck by deck, row by row, they drive the cars in a steady stream toward the stern deck and out into the terminal's massive parking area where each car is accounted for and parked in a designated space. Then it's back into the shuttle to start the process all over again. But before any cars can be unloaded, they must first be unlashed. We have what's called a lashing gang. They come out before any of the drivers go up on board the ship. They get down in very awkward positions and they unhook or unlash these straps that affix the cars to the decks of the vehicle. Sometimes the ships hit bad weather, so the cars have to be very secure on the ship, or you'd have a big jumble of cars jumping all over the ship. Seems simple enough, but just imagine the damage that would occur if a driver tried to pull away with the vehicle still lashed to the ship. And there's another surprising challenge to this job. Technology helps us all, but on a ship like this, we may have 30 different models of vehicles. So we ask our drivers to quickly get in the cars that they've never been in before and learn how to start the cars, how to put it in gear. The keys don't look like normal keys anymore. They're like a fob or a little square rectangle. Some of those you have to put up to a start button and hold it there for a couple seconds. And I must say that the ILW does a fantastic job in getting up on the ship, getting in each car and driving it off very efficiently. Toyota alone holds 15% of the market share of U.S. auto sales, and there are more than 1,500 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion dealerships in America. Toyota also supports about 365,000 jobs across the country. So as you might have guessed, this terminal stays busy. It averages out to about a ship and a half a week or about uh six or seven ships, maybe eight ships on a good month. Very swift process. Cars don't stay here very long. They move very quickly to the dealers, and then ultimately to the end user, which is URI. Some of these cars will be delivered to local dealerships via car transporter. Others travel by train to distribution centers for dealerships that are more than 400 miles away from the port of Long Beach.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com

Torrance Municipal Programming Summary — April 1, 2025

Source Note

The agenda and minutes are marked unavailable. The raw transcription contains no parliamentary procedure, roll call, staff reports, council deliberations, or resolutions.

The supplied timestamp associated with the material is 2025-04-01 14:30:00+00:00; no meeting duration or agenda time range is given.

Consent Calendar

None present. No routine approvals or unanimous actions are included in the transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

None present. No members of the public addressed a city council or commission.

Program Segments

Pulse of the Port (Port of Long Beach): The program showed SSA Marine unloading approximately 3,000 new Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles at Toyota's Pier B terminal after a two-week voyage from Toyohashi, Japan. The segment noted about 150 ILWU workers per ship, roll-on/roll-off vessels capable of carrying more than 6,000 vehicles, Toyota's 15% share of U.S. auto sales, more than 1,500 dealerships, and about 365,000 U.S. jobs supported by Toyota. It also covered the completed Colorado Lagoon restoration phase, including removal of approximately 63,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment during a nearly eight-month dredging project, the cleanest water-quality rating at the lagoon in 50 years, nearly $2 million in direct port funding since 2007, and an additional $2 million saved through port acceptance of dredge material.

Port infrastructure and jobs: The transcript described the proposed Pier S terminal, the visit of the MSC Beatrice at Pier T, and the Middle Harbor terminal project. The MSC Beatrice was described as 1,200 feet long, with a maximum capacity of 13,800 container units, and as the largest container vessel to dock at a North American port at the time; the port's 76-foot-deep channel was called the deepest man-made channel in North America. The Middle Harbor project was described as combining two older terminals into one facility that would double capacity, support 14,000 new jobs, and cut air pollution in half.

Port community programs: The program highlighted the Let's Talk Port forum series and the Eye on Design public-art education program, which served 330 students at three schools and created six mosaic public-art pieces in the prior year.

Torrance Transit 75th-anniversary history: The segment traced bus service from the Pacific Electric Red Car era and the city's approval of its own municipal bus line in January 1940. It reported that ridership grew from about 10,000 in the first year to more than four million boardings in the past year. It also described modern CNG buses, a planned transit center at Crenshaw Boulevard and Maricopa Street, and a future Metro Green Line connection.

Curiosity Quest Goes Green - car recycling: This educational segment followed cars through Pacific Coast Recycling and the Tamco steel mill. It reported that roughly 75 to 80% of a car can be recycled, that the shredded steel is melted and rolled into rebar, and that steel from one 20-foot billet can be formed into three nearly 1,000-foot lengths. A fun-fact graphic stated that auto recycling reduces air pollution by 86% and that annual U.S. steel recycling saves enough energy to heat and light 18 million homes.

Health and wellness programming: A chair-circuit exercise segment led by Monica of LA Parks demonstrated seated cardio and resistance routines. A Senior Scene segment on sun safety featured Torrance dermatologist Dr. Philip Valentine and melanoma survivors, including an 83-year-old patient who had four melanoma surgeries and a 67-year-old surfer; recommendations included sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, protective clothing, and avoiding peak sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Local business features: Segments featured Zeba Beauty, a family-owned threading, waxing, and henna business opening its 10th studio in Torrance; the CEO reported 35 years in business, a 75% drop in business due to the COVID-19 pandemic, safety-focused appointment-only operations, and a plan to rebuild and hire. Another feature profiled Cisco, a Torrance sourcing and product-development company led by Neil Kay and his sons, highlighting products such as the Rally Flip Cap and the Chill Time ice wrap.

Arts and culture programming: A craft segment with A to Z Scrapbooking owner Vivian showed how to make a card using cardboard, dictionary paper, tissue paper, and a paper bag. A Jazz Notes interview featured guitarists Jorge Strunz and Arishir Farah, who described their 24-year collaboration, their album Desert Guitars, and their blend of flamenco, Middle Eastern, and jazz styles. An Opera Talk segment discussed Samuel Barber's Vanessa, its 1958 Metropolitan Opera premiere, and recordings of the work.

Notable Positions and Advocacy

Port and Harbor Commission spokespersons expressed commitment to community projects and to improving infrastructure to attract larger ships.

An SSA Marine representative expressed gratitude for vehicle sales and said the hope is that the car-unloading business continues.

A public-service announcement by American Community Television urged viewers to contact Congress in support of the Community Access Preservation Act, saying cable and telephone industry lobbying threatened public, educational, and government access channels and that communities had already lost more than 100 stations.

Torrance Transit employees and retirees expressed pride in the agency's service to seniors, students, and hospital riders and said teamwork is central to its success.

Zeba Beauty's CEO expressed determination to rebuild the business with a safety-first model and to expand through partnerships and licensing.

Cisco founder Neil Kay advised entrepreneurs to work hard, delay gratification, and bring innovation to the market rather than duplicating existing products.

Key Outcomes

No formal decisions, votes, resolutions, ordinances, contracts, appointments, or referrals are present in the transcript.

The only action requested of viewers in the supplied material was to support and advocate for the CAP Act by contacting members of Congress.

Meeting Transcript