Comments to the Torrance City Council: January 12, 2021

 Dear Torrance City Council:

Here are my comments for the city council meeting:

6A. PROCLAMATION honoring Police Chief Eve R. Berg of the Torrance Police Department upon her retirement after thirty-eight years in law enforcement.

Police Chief Eve Berg could not be leaving sooner. The fact that she put excessive attention on the "Wilson Park Karen", even calling for a press conference, was just crass virtue-signaling without any virtue. In contrast, she did absolutely nothing while Black Lives Matter took over the Torrance City Council chambers numerous times for the last year and a half. She allowed them to over-run and block the streets in front of Torrance city hall on June 23, 2020. Her lack of judgment in these matters all demonstrated that she was not fit to lead. Her perverse decision not to issue CCW permits to those who applied for them (if the applicants were not prosecutors and judges), even when they met all the guidelines listed by state law, is also unconscionable.

Good riddance to Eve Berg.

9A. City Manager – Provide COVID-19 Recovery Update and Determine Direction on Orders from the County of Los Angeles and the State of California Regarding COVID-19. Expenditure: None.

Open up the city. The city of Torrance should issue a blanket proclamation in which they assure all business owners that they are essential, and that the city of Torrance will neither aid nor abet any crackdowns, fines, or forced closures against them. The city should not issue any orders which require businesses, large or small, to compel individual consumers to wear masks. The restaurant industries in the city should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they offer full service, patio dining, or take-out, or all of the above.

It's time for the city of Torrance to take the lead on pushing back on these unconstitutional, unethical lockdown orders.

9G. City Manager and Fire – Discuss and Approve Implementation of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Transportation Program. Expenditure: $715,200 (Non-General Fund).

Recommendation of the City Manager and Fire Chief that City Council discuss and approve the implementation of a City Emergency Medical Service (EMS) transportation program within the Fire Department's Emergency Medical Division.

I am not sure it's in the best interests of the city to take this program in-house. There may be cost savings now, but the city is already paying big money to pensions for retired city employees. More city employees mean more pensions, more cost, more debt that the city of Torrance cannot afford.

Saving a little money now, only to pay more money in the future? That is not a wise course of action.

Torrance Resident to Torrance City Council: Time to OPEN UP!

Dear Torrance City Council:

You may remember me from my email last week. Thank you for taking the time to read my email regarding these lockdowns. As you are aware, the county is locking down even harder than last week without any evidence or proof that this is the right thing to do. Since March, Torrance has not had community spread. In fact, we know most of the deaths were in nursing homes. These new restrictions are going to cause more harm than the virus and we NEED you to take a stand. Peoples lives have been changed forever due to these lockdown orders. If we care about saving lives, then we must also care about saving the lives who are being destroyed due to these lockdowns.  

 

I spoke to someone from Torrance this morning whose daughter tried to kill herself due to the depression and stress these lockdowns have caused. My son asked me just yesterday if I thought things would ever get back to normal, he is trying to stay strong but I can feel it weighing on him. I have spoken to store owners who are about to lose everything. All of this right before Christmas. Can you imagine what it is going to be like for these families who have already faced so much, that will also have to tell their children that there will not be a Christmas. SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. You have the authority to stand up to this, and I am asking that you do whatever it takes. Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, Whitter, and any others I have missed, have all taken a stand. You have the power to do this and the city is relying on you to use that power and not sit back and watch peoples lives be destroyed.

 

Here is some of what I have found when looking for answers.

 

The ICUs baseline for LA County is 90% occupancy rising to 98% in flu season. We are currently at 85% occupancy, when 90% is the baseline. How is this justified? This is according to the National Health Foundation’s data.

 

 

In 2018 hospitals across the country were overwhelmed including LA. We did not respond this way. Why now? We know COVID is contagious, but it is not deadly. Link below.

https://time.com/5107984/hospitals-handling-burden-flu-patients/

 

Los Angeles County is still below the total number of patients it had in December 2019. Here is the link: http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhs/1070348_DHSCOVID-19Dashboard.pdf

 

 

Despite California following medieval science and superstition, it has had a nearly identical case trajectory as Texas, which follows almost none of it. In TX, schools are open. Businesses are open. People can go for a walk. In other words, they are treated more as human beings. We can argue that LA is more densely populated, but Torrance is not. And the evidence in the data proves Torrance is not really of concern.

 

 

There is CLEARLY something wrong here.

 

 

I ask that you stand up for our children, our restaurants and our small businesses and push back on these orders. Torrance is an amazing city, however, I fear the disparities that will result from these lockdowns will make our city unrecognizable if we do not stop this now. You took an oath, it is time you honor this oath. We are asking you to and we need you to. The people in this city that are asking you to please stand up for us are not the BLM callers that harass you every week, or the people who do not care about this city. It is the people who are hardworking citizens, who LOVE this city, who respect the police and city council. PLEASE DO WHAT’S RIGHT.