Torrance City Council Candidate Jack Walser: I Don't Have Time to Answer Questions

When someone is running for city council, one would think that a candidate would go out of his way to answer questions for prospective voters.

Not Jack Walser.

The former appointed city councilman seems to forget that he works for voters, for citizens, not for Frank Scott, not for Pat Furey, not for the political establishment.

I sent a questionnaire to Mr. Walser, since he is running for the District Six City Council seat, asking him to share his thoughts, his answers about his campaign.

Here's my email:

Hey Mr, Walser:

Ten years ago, I sent out questionnaires to different candidates, giving them a chance to share their views and answer questions on their campaign.

I am requesting that you fill out this questionnaire, as well! I will post your answers on my blog.

Here's what Heidi Ashcraft shared with me in 2014, and what I posted:

https://aschaper1.blogspot.com/2014/05/torrance-city-council-races-heidi.html

Please feel free to send me your answers as soon as you can, and I will post them.

THANKS!

-----

1. Why are you running for city council this year? Did you ever plan on running for office before?
   
    
2. What is your party affiliation? Please explain why.

 

3. Tell us about your prior professional/political experience and how they can help the City of Torrance? 

 

4. What measures, reforms, and policies would you implement on a city level to bring in more business and increase economic activity in the City of Torrance. 

 

5. What concerns do you have about crime and public safety in Torrance? How do you want to combat those issues? 

 

6. There are growing revelations about the city's massive pension liabilities -- $400 million, an online reports confirm that at least 600 city employees out of 200 are earning at least $100,000 a year in total compensation (per 2012 data). What reforms or steps do you support to deal with these massive pension liabilities? 

 

7. Aside from crime and finances, what are three issues that you want to tackle when you get elected to city council? 

 

8. How have residents and prospective voters responded to your campaign?

And here was his arrogant answer:

Arthur,

My time is very limited with business priorities and running the campaign with only a short time remaining. I would be hard pressed to complete your questionnaire as requested. Besides, your questions are not timely being ten years old.

Please go to my website and find the information you are seeking at: https://www.jackwalsertorrance.com/

Thank you.

        Jack Walser

Jack Walser thinks that questions about crime and public safety are not timely. He thinks that questions about the city's finance issues are not timely. Is he even paying attention? Does he have any understanding of the pressing issues facing the city? It sure sounds as if he doesn't, which may explain why he is not answering questions.

He says that he does not have time to answer questions because of his business.

If he can't make time to answer questions because of his business, how will he make time to serve the city as a councilman?

If he cannot prioritze voters and their questions when he is running for office, then what busines does he have running for office?

Mr. Walser, if you are going to make excuses, try harder. But I will say that the voters of District Six deserve better than some dismissive busines owner who won't answer questions for the voters.

Torrance City Council Election 2022: The Fight For North Torrance (District One)

 There are two very contentious races in the 2022 Torrance City Council Elections:

1. Torrance City Council, District One

2. Torrance City Treasurer

For this post, I am going to explore the District One contest more closely. 

This is the northern most district, a region of the city which has not gotten as much attention compared to other areas of the city. Based on the number of Title One enrollees at North High School, it's the poorest area of the city. It has seen a higher degree of crime compared to other areas of the city as well.

It's also the most Democratic region of the city, if one is paying attention to the affilation of voters in the area. Of course, I have found that many residents in the city are not as keenly focused on the party affiliation of city council candidates, as much as they focus on

There are four candidates for this seat. Right away, we understand why this fight is so contentious.

Here are the candidates vying for the seat, with their political affiliations and their endorsements

1. Jimmy Gow

Democrat

Endorsements:

Pat Furey: Mayor of Torrance

Al Muratsuchi: Assemblymember representing Torrance

Maxine Waters: Congresswoman representing Torrance

Janice Hahn: LA County Supervisor representing Torrance

2. David Zygielbaum

Democrat

Endorsements:

Torrance Police Officers Association

Torrance Firefighters Association

Pat Furey: Mayor of Torrance

3. David Kartsonis

Republican

Endorsements:

George Nakano - Former California State Assemblyman

Councilwoman Heidi Ann Ashcraft - Torrance Councilwoman; Former TUSD School Board Member Councilman Mike Griffiths - Torrance Councilman 

Frank Scotto - Former Torrance Mayor 

Tom Brewer - Former Torrance Councilman 

Paul Nowatka Former Torrance Councilman 

Maureen O’Donnell - Former Torrance Councilwoman; Former El Camino College Trustee 

Bill Sutherland - Former Torrance Councilman 

Martha Deutch - Former TUSD School Board Member; President of the Torrance Education Foundation Dr. George Mannon - Former TUSD Superintendent 

Ken Brown - Trustee Area 1; Community College Instructor 

Siannah Collado Boutté - Former ECC Trustee, Former ECC ASO President 

Eman Dalili - Former Trustee; Former ECC Student Body President; Gubernatorial Appointee to the California Board of Governors 

Dr. Thomas Fallo - Former El Camino College Superintendant/President 

Brooke Matson - Former Trustee; Current Board Member of the El Camino College Foundation 

John Vargas - Former Trustee 

Matthew Brach - SCROC Governing Board; Palos Verdes Unified School District School Board 

Mark Burton - Former Manhattan Beach Mayor 

Mark Waronek - Lomita City Councilman 

Hugo Rojas - Vice-President, Centinela Valley Unified High School District

4. Jon Kaji

Independent

Endorsements:

Torrance City Councilman George Chen

Torrance City Councilman Aurelio Mattucci

El Camino College Trustee Trisha Murakawa

City of Gardena Mayor Tasha Cerda

City of Gardena Councilman Rodney Tanaka

City of Gardena City Clerk Mina Simenza

Former State Treasurer John Chiang

Former LA County Supervisor Don Knabe

Former LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich

Former City of LA Councilmembers Jan Perry and David Ryu

Former LA County CEO William Fujioka

Former Chief of Staff, Rep. Steve Kuykendall,  Garrett Ashley

Former City of Torrance Planning Commissioner,  Ray Uchima

Civil rights attorney, Dale Minami, Esq.

Actor and civil rights activist, George Takei

Actor and comedian, Derek Mio

USC Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl Champion, Mike Garrett

Los Angeles Laker legend Michael Cooper

PGA Professional Ted Oh

Former SONY Interactive Entertainment Chairman and CEO, Shawn Layden

This race has a diverse split in all the endorsements. That certain will make for an interesting contest come June 7th, 2022.

How does this all break down, though?

Jimmy Gow is clearly the most partisan of the endorsements. He has gotten complete backing from every Democratic machine politician in the region, from Congress to the county to the state assembly. No one should be surprsied, since he remains the president of the Torrance Democratic Club, an institution with a history of shutting down public participation when residents want to confront their locally elected officials.

The last thing that many TOrrance voters want is an outright partisan, based on how elections have fallen for the last several decades in the city of Torrance. What's worse, though, is that Jimmy Gow was recently removed from the commission that he had served on for a number of years: The Social Services Commission.

It's a bitter irony that he servded on that commission, based on his obstreperous behavior during the 2016 President election. His infamously visited the West Carson Veterans Hall in 2016, in which he and other rabid leftists trespassed on the property, spit at veterans, pushed them around, and one of the hateful activists stole the phone from one of the veterans at the hall.

Jimmy Gow should be a clear "No" for any voter in North Torrance. He ran in 2018, when city council seats were still elected at large, and he was the bottom vote-getter. Will his overt connections to the Democratic Party get him into the seat?

Well, Democratic voters in North Torrance have another, more professional choice: LA County Deputy DA David Zygielbaum.

He's much more likeable and approachable. He also has a young family and he currently serves on a commission, having received the unanimous endorsement of the city council at that time. He helped start a Neighborhood Watch in his area, too. Plus the fact that he has endorsed by the two public safety unions in the city, and Zygielbaum is a viable option for partisan voters who want a city councilman with some panache and substance.

However, any candidate who receives Mayor Pat Furey's endorsement should invite considerable suspicious. Pat Furey has been a disgrace, an absolute disaster for the city of Torrance. A bitter partisan with open disdain for his colleagues on the council, a political hack of dubious moral distinction who colluded with a local PAC during the 2014 Torrance City Council elections, Furey is one creepy fellow. Many people in the city have had nothing but disdain for this man, in large part because of his rampant disrespect to voters and speakers in the city council chambers.

And his complete incompetence when it comes to running city council meetings has harmed everyone in the city. He refused to take a stand against outside hate groups which have long disrupted city council meetings. He has refused to take a stance against the relentless borrowing from the city's general fund.

Pat Furey has been a huge disappointment to the city, and anyone whom he endorses is all the more suspect as a result.

Like Zygielbaum, David Kartsonis has a considerable record of public service in the city of Torrance, specifically for North Torrance, and for the general region due to his advocacy and volunteer efforts with El Camino College. In 2020, he ran for a seat on the El Co Board of Trustees, and he even received numerous endorsements from local and county elected officials from across the political spectrum.

Yet he still lost.

He's running for the North Torrance city council seat with a considerable array of endorsements, but many of them are formerly elected officials, not current ones, aside from Torrance City Councilmembers Mike Griffiths and Heide Ashcraft. 

Kartsonis has considerable ties to the area, no doubt, and he does not have a partisan axe to grind. Is he the best pick for the seat?

Then there's Jon Kaji.

He's an Independent, and an independent business owner. He has the endorsement of two Torrance city councilmembers. He has ties to the Torrance business community, certainly. Most of his endorsements are from his activism and his connections with his alma mater USC.

It helps to have someone who is more of an outsider running for the Torrance City Council. As it stands now, two of the city councilmembers--George Chen and Sharon Kalani--never served on city commissioners before. It's worthwhile for voters to send a message to the community that they will give "outsiders" a chance to serve on the city council, as well.

There is one clear distinction which Kaji holds compared to the other three candidates: he is the only candidate who opposes raising the city sales tax. That is a considerable development, and makes him a worthwhile consideration.

Final Reflection

Diverse, divided endorsements, different political backgrounds, distinct records of public service: all these elements make the race for Torrance City Council District One an election for the Torrance history books. How will the voters assess these different candidates? Will the endorsements play any kind of factor? Each nominee has a number of respectable suppporters, and some of them have supporters from the same government agency (Torrance City Council, El Camino College Board of Trustees.)

The professional background of each candidate is something to consider, as well.

How will this race shape up going into June 7th?

Quittin' Cliff Numark: Torrance Needs a Mayor Who Will Stay in Office

This year, the voters in the city of Torrance will be selecting a new mayor.

Two candidates have emerged to run for the seat: Cliff Numark and Councilman George Chen.

One would think they both have considerable resumés, since both of them have served as city councilmembers, along with their long-standing reputations of service to the community.

However, there is one crucial, unmistakable difference between the two, and it makes all the difference whether the city residents should elect one or the other.

Consider this when looking all the mayors of Torrance, from the first election that the mayor's seat was elected at large by the voters:

Albert Isen

Ken Miller

Jim Armstrong

Kathy Geisert

Dee Hardison

Dan Walker

Frank Scotto

Patrick Furey

What do all of these mayors have in common?

First, they were all sitting members of the city council when they ran mayor.  Voters in Torrance have wanted mayors with some experience serving on city council.

No one really wants a neophyte for mayor who has to learn on the job. Working with colleagues before the public eye, considering the complexities of the city budget, the different relationships at work with the civil servants in city hall, and the political dynamics throughout the city require considerable knowledge and experience. 

Moreover, the city is facing another set of hard times for the next three to four years, and the last thing that the city of Torrance needs is a mayor-in-training who will take at least a year to get used to the levers of power and responsibility.

To make it very simple, we need a mayor who already has on-the-job experience.

But there's something else to take into account with each of the former and current mayors of Torrance: 

 They all pledged their dedication to the citizens and voters of Torrance. They made it very clear: "Vote for me and I will commit to you for the term of office."   

They all fulfilled that promise. 

Quittin' Cliff Numark

Except for one candidate: Cliff Numark.

Numark was elected to the Torrance city council in 2008 (he was the bottom vote-getter), and then elected to a full term in 2010.

Unlike all the other mayoral candidates and mayors once elected, Cliff Numark did not keep his commitment to the Torrance voters. He resigned in 2013 to serve on the El Camino College Board. He ran for that office and got elected, and then left Torrance in the lurch.

During the Seaside Homeowners Association debate on March 23, 2022, he argued that serving on the El Camino College Board would better serve the city of Torrance. Also, because state law prevented him from serving on two boards, he had to resign his position on the city of Torrance.

That is not an excuse, of course. Numark should have known well enough that running and winning the El Camino College Board seat was going to force him to resign his city council seat. That lack of commitment to the city of Torrance is really disconcerting.

It's been nine years since he served in any government capacity for the city of Torrance, and times have really changed. Sure, he helped other city councilmembers weather the fiscal storms of the Great Recession, but like many of his colleagues then--and as he asserts now--he has no problem raising taxes to restore city revenue. Furthermore, Cliff has shown that he is more ambitious than principled. Instead of considering the needs of the city, he wanted to take advantage of another political opportunity. Most people run for college board so that they can curry favor with labor unions and contractors in order to seek higher office.

Cliff cares about Cliff, and he has no qualms about quitting if it furthers his political pursuits. Torrance has had to deal with this dynamic already (think "Ted Lieu"). Torrance deserves better than another office-seeker looking for the highest bidder.

None of Torrance's eight mayors EVER broke their commitment to the city and its residents. They kept their promise when they ran for city council, and they kept their promise when they served their full term as mayor. None of them quit. They were engaged, they knew what the obligation was, they were active, they gave their time, and they were dedicated when making a promise to be Torrance's mayor.

None of them quit because they didn’t have the time. None of them quit because they wanted to take advantage of other opportunities along the way. For many of them, opportunities did pass by, but they rejected them: excellent job promotions, campaign bids for State Assembly, running for congress corporate jobs etc.  None of the mayors quit.

Actions speak louder than words, and Quittin' Cliff has made his political career more important than the city and its citizens. His yard signs all over the city reasd "Former City Councilmember." That pretty much sums up his experience. He is a "former," and it should stay that way.

FORMER Councilman Quittin' Cliff
is trying to hide his "former" self

Vote for George Chen for Torrance Mayor on June 7th, 2022.