Torrance City Council Meeting – November 3, 2026: Regular Business, Closed Session, and Community Recognitions

The Torrance City Council met on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The meeting was called to order at 5:01 p.m. for a closed session, with no reportable actions; regular business began at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 3031 Torrance Blvd. Roll call showed Mayor and Councilmembers Barnett, Gerson, Carzonis, Lou, and Sheikh present; Councilmember Lewis was absent. The flag salute was led by Councilmember Sheikh and the invocation by Councilmember Gerson, who noted it was Election Day. The Council recessed to a second closed session at 8:05 p.m., reconvened at 9:03 p.m., and adjourned to November 17, 2026. (Note: the mayor's surname is transcribed inconsistently as both "Colani" and "Kalani" in the meeting record.)

Closed Session

• The closed session covered: anticipated litigation (two cases); real property negotiations with the Torrance Unified School District over lease/use agreements at 12 school properties; labor negotiations involving 21 employee organizations; and existing litigation in Civil Rights Department v. City of Torrance, Court of Appeal Case No. B352855.
• The City Manager reported no actions from closed session.

Community Matters & Proclamations

• Adopted Resolution No. 2026-96 honoring Community Services Lead Maintenance Worker Charles Grant upon retirement after 37 years of service; Resolution No. 2026-97 honoring Human Resources Customer Service Representative Phyllis Davis after 28 years; Resolution No. 2026-98 honoring Police Officer Bryan Okazaki after 22 years; and Resolution No. 2026-99 honoring Forensic Supervisor Carrie Harris after 20 years. All four resolutions were adopted by unanimous vote of the members present, with Councilmember Lewis absent.
• Presented a centenarian proclamation to Gasper Leto, Torrance's 13th centenarian honoree. Born October 21, 1926, Mr. Leto is a U.S. Navy veteran and has been a West Torrance resident for more than 60 years; his family joined him to accept the recognition.
• Proclaimed November 16–20, 2026 as Anti-bullying Awareness Week; November 28–December 5, 2026 as Small Business Week; and November 2026 as Torrance Education Foundation Month. Torrance Unified School District board members thanked the Council on behalf of the district; Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Donna DuPron promoted the Small Business Week campaign; and TEF board members, including former Mayor Patrick Fury, highlighted the foundation's 34 years of work, more than $7.5 million in support to academic programs over the past five years, and $238,000 in checks to be presented to PTAs, schools, and clubs the next day.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Luke Creamer, speaking on behalf of residents of the 2400 block of Gramercy Avenue (transcribed as "Grammar City Avenue"), opposed the planned removal of four camphor trees, saying they provide shade, mitigate urban heat, support wildlife, and contribute to neighborhood character and property values; he submitted 26 resident signatures and cited the city's Standard Plan T-402 for preserving historic trees. Danny Spinalgo, a resident of the block since 1993, also urged preservation, stating residents had heard the trees might be cut the following week.
• Julie Dogiri, New Horizons Civic Affairs Committee Chairperson, thanked the city and Councilmember Gerson for initiating a traffic safety study of Nadine Circle after an August 2026 crash in which a pedestrian in the crosswalk at 229th Street and Nadine Circle was injured and hospitalized; she noted the community is a senior community where many residents cross with canes and walkers.
• Adam Schwartz (Downtown Torrance) called the Downtown Torrance Color Palette extraordinarily dated and limiting, stating Art Deco buildings historically used far more color than today's mostly beige palette. A Community Development staff member responded that long-range planning is already reviewing the palette and will bring something back to the Council in the future.
• A resident living approximately 100 feet from the Sur Librea Park pickleball courts (former tennis courts re-striped to pickleball in 2001) urged the Council to approve re-striping the courts back to tennis once the new Wilson Park courts open; she cited noise, lights, lack of parking, and a promise made about 2.5 years earlier by Mr. John LaRock. Her neighbor Jim Alton supported reverting to tennis, describing a hit-and-run that damaged his car, a recycling bin smeared with excrement, and frequent parking conflicts.
• "Tom" questioned the cost in item 8H. Chief of Police Bob Dunn explained that the $211,726 change order covers the remaining 58 rifles, for a new total of $728,802.23 for all 220 rifles; the initial June purchase was limited by a grant spending deadline.
• Joe Buck (Oral Communications #2), a Hillside Zone resident, asked the Council to direct Community Development staff to respond to resident proposals and allow a genuine exchange before year's end, arguing that past Hillside Workshops were one-way presentations to residents.

Consent Calendar

• Approved en bloc (with Councilmember Lewis absent) items 8A (minutes of October 6 and 13, 2026), 8B (Resolution No. 2026-100 amending the Conflict of Interest Code and repealing Resolution No. 2024-77), 8E (Amendment #2 to the World War II Japanese American Incarceration Monument Project grant with the California Natural Resources Agency, extending the performance period to February 1, 2029), 8F (Change Order #1, Alta Loma Park Playground Replacement Project with Landscape Structures Inc., substantial completion revised to December 1, 2026, term extended to December 31, 2026), 8G (Change Order No. 1, Torrance Regional Transit Center parking structure with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., contract price revised to $35,928,369.40 including a 10% contingency of $3,266,215.40, term through July 20, 2029), 8H (Change Order #1 for 58 rifles from ProForce Law Enforcement, $211,726, new total $728,802.23), 8I (Change Order No. 2, Zamperini Field electrical improvements with Royal Electric Co., $3,445,320.60, new not-to-exceed $8,778,653.40; appropriation of $3,847,935.98 from the Airport Fund; and second amendment with Kane Construction Services, Inc., $750,000, new not-to-exceed $1,500,000, term extended to June 30, 2028), 8J (Final Tract Map No. 83816 with a CEQA categorical exemption under Guidelines Section 15332), and 8M (Citywide Parks Master Plan consulting agreement with Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC of Portland, ME, $748,068, for a 13-month period from December 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027).
• Item 8N (acceptance of a $1,031,000 U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office Technology and Equipment Program grant for the Police Department's Public Safety Digital Infrastructure Modernization Project) was removed from the Consent Calendar; the transcript does not record a separate Council action on it.

Separately Considered Consent Items

• 8C and 8D: Investment Reports for July and August 2026 were accepted and filed. Councilmember Barnett noted the reports are now nearly current, with one more month needed to reach compliance with the 60-day investment policy; the Treasurer confirmed.
• 8K: Adopted Resolution No. 2026-101 increasing the City Attorney's monthly salary by 9% to $25,046.57, effective November 1, 2026, following the required Brown Act announcement by the City Manager's Office. Expenditure: $32,423 (General Fund).
• 8L: Approved submission of the Transit Department's Annual Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan. Transit Director Kim Turner said the federally required plan secures continued federal funding equal to approximately 11–14% of the department's budget and commended Deputy Transit Director Godfrey O'Fabu and the safety committee.

Discussion Items

• Item 10A: The Council discussed and adopted on first reading Ordinance No. 3971, which amends Article 4 and adds Article 6 to Chapter 6, Division 7 of the Torrance Municipal Code to prohibit potable water irrigation of nonfunctional turf, implementing AB 1572 (California Water Code Sections 10608.12 and 10608.14). Public Works staff (Chuck Scheip and Policy and Resource Specialist Lily Myers) presented the ordinance. Key points included: the law phases in by 2027 for local government and public agency properties, 2028 for commercial, industrial, and institutional properties, and 2029 for HOA common areas; individual residential properties are excluded; sports fields and picnic areas are functional turf and are not affected; compliance may be achieved by stopping irrigation, converting to low-water landscaping, or using recycled water where available; enforcement is education-first with a written warning and time to correct, with penalties increasing only if a violation continues within a 12-month period; and the Water Commission endorsed the ordinance on September 23. Staff confirmed there is no minimum or maximum turf size threshold, affected customers (including those in the Cal Water service area, in coordination with Cal Water) will be notified by January 1, 2027, and the city receives no state compensation for implementing the program. The Council also adopted a CEQA categorical exemption under Guidelines Sections 15307, 15308, and 15061(b)(3), and approved the ordinance summary for publication. Second reading and adoption are scheduled for November 17, 2026.

Council Announcements

• Councilmember Carzonis placed a full recusal statement on the record for the Walteria Terrace Gardens mixed-use senior housing project, disclosing a $1,000 campaign contribution received on November 4, 2025 from Rolling Hills Business Center LLC, owned by a neighboring property owner participating in the proceeding; he recused himself under the Levine Act and noted he had disclosed the recusal at the Planning Commission but inadvertently not at the City Council meeting.
• The Mayor announced that Waymo has expanded its paid, fully electric autonomous ride-hail service into Torrance, with local testing by trained safety drivers. The chair of the State Legislative Advocacy Committee invited the community to a meeting on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 2 p.m. in the Council Chamber.
• Councilmember Gerson announced an extended November 14 application deadline for the Torrance Sister City youth exchange with Kashiwa, Japan; a District 6 community update on November 5 at 4 p.m. at New Horizons Clubhouse; and the Summit Beer Festival at Zamperini Field on November 7 (about 70 independent craft breweries, 1–5 p.m., 21 and older).
• Councilmember Barnett announced a District 4 community meeting on November 16 from 4–6 p.m. at the Attic Teen Center and a Strategic Plan Committee meeting on November 5 at noon.
• Fire Chief David Dumay reminded the community of the Torrance Refining Company monthly siren test on November 4 at 11:30 a.m. and encouraged sign-up for the Torrance Alerts emergency notification system.
• Several members noted that November 3, 2026 was Election Day, with polls closing at 8 p.m., and encouraged civic engagement.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted Resolutions No. 2026-96 through 2026-99 honoring four retiring employees.
• Approved the Consent Calendar en bloc (items 8A, 8B, 8E–8J, 8M) and separately approved items 8C, 8D, 8K, and 8L, all with Councilmember Lewis absent; item 8N was removed from the Consent Calendar with no subsequent action recorded in the transcript.
• Adopted Resolution No. 2026-101 setting the City Attorney's salary at $25,046.57 per month (a 9% increase), effective November 1, 2026.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 3971 on first reading (unanimous among the six members present), including CEQA exemption findings and approval of the ordinance summary for publication; second reading and adoption are scheduled for November 17, 2026.
• Adjourned to Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. for closed session, with regular business at 6:30 p.m.; November 10, 2026 is a Council dark night (no meeting).