Sad Day in Torrance: Creepy Pat Endorses Sellout Sharon for Mayor

It's official.

Sell-out Sharon Kalani has completed her course, sold whatever integrity she claimed to have, and has given into the spendthrift, business-as-usual political class which has defined Torrance politics for far too long.

What exactly is her beef with Mayor George Chen? Easy: Jean Adelsman doesn't like him. It's that simple. I thought elected officials were supposed to represent the needs of all residents, not just kowtow to the bitterness of a select few ...

I understand why this is happening. Sell-out Sharon wants to be liked. She doesn't want people to say mean things about her, and she wants to fit in without causing a great deal of conflict.

But leadership is about making choices, and choices are going to have outcomes or take directions which some people simply will not like.

Sell-out Sharon doesn't lead. She follows, she does what she is told, and she gets a pat on the head for her efforts.

She gets lots of kudos and nice remarks from "Take Back Torrance." She cares what a couple of angry liberals think, even though other liberal-leaning voters in the city were furious with Dishonest Jean for pushing a failed recall effort against Councilman Mattucci.

Bitterness is the norm for the political "Establishment" in the city, and this bitterness looks for politicians who are easy to control.

Enter Sharon Kalani. I never thought I would see such a total reversal in moral standing.

And to make matters worse, the city's worst mayor, Pat Furey, has lined up behind her.

Creepy, corrupt, abusive, incompetent former mayor Pat Furey endorses Sharon Kalani.

He also calls her a friend. Who would want to be a friend of his?

These facts alone should turn everyone away from voting for this woman.

Many residents complained to me about "Creepy Pat." He was rude, abusive, dishonest with the Torrance public during his tenure. He brought a lot of conflict to the city. He colluded with a PAC to get elected, and he sold out our Ambulance service to McCormick. He couldn't maintain order in the city council chambers when left-wing activists repeatedly took over the meetings to support black thug Christopher Cowboy Mitchell. He threw residents out of the city council chambers just for speaking their minds, but he would allow hateful black supremacist bigots to shut down the city council meetings. This is leadership that Torrance can trust?

But Pat Furey served two terms, some will counter. Only because two Republicans split the vote in those elections. Creepy Pat never had a majority of the city behind him. It sure looks like Sharon won't have a majority of the city behind her, either, if these are the best endorsements she can muster.

The Repeated Disappointments of Councilman Mike Griffiths

Two years ago, Torrance City Councilman Mike Griffiths made excuses for not wanting to support a Resolution of No Confidence against LA County DA George Gascon. I shamed him for his disrespectful attitude towards me (and others), and reported his reticence to the public. I was really surprised how far that blog post traveled throughout the city. People were really angry with Mike Griffiths for his petulance.

Ultimately, he caved in with the leaders on the city council at that time--George Chen and Aurelio Mattucci--and he supported the Resolution of No Confidence against George Gascon.

That move was too little too late, apparently, since he was then unsuccessful the next year in his bid for City Treasurer. But I suspect it was more than just his reluctance to stand against George Gascon that cost him that city-wide office.

His disrespect and disregard for the will of voters has been unmistakable. Like Frank Scotto and Pat Furey before him, he shows off an elitist mentality which disdains the opinions of others, but focuses more interest in his narrow interests or self-serving outcomes.

A number of residents have shared with me their frustration with Councilman Griffiths, too. He mkes promises or assertions to residents in the city, only to backtrack or betray those pledges after the fact. He did that to me a number of years ago regarding a potential resolution against SB 54 in 2018, the legislation that turned California into a lawless sanctuary state for illegal aliens. He told me that he would not support such a measure, but then voted for it at the next city council meeting, only to witness its defeat when Councilman Milton Herring killed the measure. Why tell me one thing, then do something different on the dias? This kind of double-dealing has a long history with Griffiths.

During his three campaigns for city council, he gave off an insufferable arrogance, as though he doesn't have to answer people's questions, or respect their concerns, either. Sadly, this kind of attitude has been all too pervasive with a number of Torrance councilmembers. Something happens to politicians generally once they get elected. Too many of them forget that it was voters, not their own intelligence, work ethic, or connections which get them into office. That is a particular problem in the city of Torrance.

Mike Griffiths is just one more sad example of this.

Over the last two years, his repeated dishonor to Mayor George Chen is particularly disappointing. He repeatedly challenges his leadership on the dias, openly disagrees with him, and shames him directly when unique challenges come before the council. Yes, the council had to call a number of special sessions, but so what? At least more city business is taking place in the public square, so that all of us can see what is happening.

At the first city council meeting following Chen's installation as mayor, Griffiths went out of his way to bellow to the public: "I am the senior member on the city council." Yet his advice has not been effective or worthwhile. He has spent more time simply promoting himself or undermining his colleagues. For exmaple, he seemed to contradict his campaign pledge for more fiscal discipline when he questioned Councilman Kaji's request for a comprehensive citywide audit. Why would he oppose that? Why would he question getting specific answers on how the city is allocating its funds while (hopefully) avoiding waste and fraud? It makes no sense other than the fact that he is unhappy with the Election 2022 results and just wants to frustrate the new governing majority on the council.

From his pattern of dishonesty to determined self-interest instead of public interest, to his disdain for the voters, it's no surprise that Mike Griffiths is not City Treasurer, and likely will never serve as Mayor of Torrance.

Strangely enough, Griffiths touted during his campaing for Treasurer in 2022 that many people in the Torrance community wanted him to run for mayor. Of course, he would have ended up spliting votes with Mayor Chen and allowing Cliff Numark to be the next mayor. Very likely, a number of forces in city politics told him to back off and allow a candidate who had already won two elections in two short election cycles (once while running at large, and the second time running in one of the new districts). Despite Griffith's extensive "experience" on the city council, nearly 80% of the Torrance voters did not want him as Treasurer. That's a pretty damning outcome, to say the least.

The city will be better served once he is gone for good. Let's hope, however, that city voters continue to raise their standards and expectation of their elected representatives. For too long, Torrance city councilmembers have maintained an elite arrogance, a constant disdain for the voters in the community, caring only for their limited interests while ignoring the ongoing concerns of the residents. Mr. Griffiths is just one more sad example of this, and hopefully the last for a long time to come.

Final Campaign Flyer Review for Election 2022: Numark v. Chen for Torrance Mayor

It has been two months since the Torrance City Council elections, and already the governance on the dias has improved tremendously. A sense of peace is already becoming more pervasive on the council.

The new and incumbent members of the council are treating one another with respect, an element of peace and and calm which has been missing for far too long in Torrance City Council meetings.

Now I have the time to take a longer look at one last flyer that went out to voters just before June 7, 2022.

Cliff Numark, the El Camino College Board Trustee who was leaving one political office to seek yet another, when he had abandoned his second term on the city council ten years ago, sent out multiple flyers. Clearly, he had the money and the connections to blanket the entire city to support him. Even residents in the Harbor Gateway received mailers from Cliff Numark's campaign, even though they could not vote for him!

In the last flyer that Cliff Numark sent out to prospective voters, he went on the attack against Councilman George Chen.

Check out the cover of the flyer here:

Right away, Numark relied on the word of retired lieutenant and former city councilman Geoff Rizzo. What was significant about Rizzo's comments? Mayor Chen had defeated Rizzo in 2020 in his bid for re-election. This was no small feat, considering that Rizzo, as retired law enforcement, had the support for the police officers association, plus the fact that he had already been elected twice before at large in the city.

George Chen put up a diligent fight and did not relent in getting the word out to the voters in District 2, since by 2020, the city had moved to district elections. One can imagine that Rizzo felt pretty bitter about losing his race to a relative outside who had only been elected the first time in 2018. Then again, the fact that Rizzo fared so poorly suggests that a) he was not a good campaigner b) he was not well-received as a good councilman c) he was too confident in his position as a twice-elected incumbent and did not put in the requisite effort needed.

Numark went on the attack, and judging by the list of criticisms below, Numark had to scrape the bottom of the barrel, and even then there was not much to fault then-Councilman Chen:

Let's take a look at some of the things that Numark posted:

Numark claimed outright that George Chen was all talk and no walk when it came to fiscal discipline and public safety. The first charge challenging this assertion? The fact that the city was in the 4th Worst financial condition in the state. However, that report was issued by January, and by June, the city council had taken drastic steps to shrink government and cut spending. The budget was on track to havea $36 million budget by June 30th, important facts which Numark's campaign conveniently left out.

Numark then selectively quoted Chen froma 2021 budget meeting. By then, Mayor Chen had been serving for three years on the city council. Just because he sahred that he was getting an "open public tutorial" does not mean that he was incompetent. Frankly, I found this level of criticism rather petty and meaningless, almost in a "Mean Girls" sort of fashion.

What's worse, Numark makes it seem as thought Chen had said "The lightbulb came on to me around the middle of last year" and then "Using reerves to balance our budget since 2015 was not the right approach" at the same time. That is not true, and let's not forget that at the time, Chen had voted against the excessive spending conducted by the council.

If Chen voted for a budget that took in $1.5 million more one time, that does not make him a profligate councilman by any stretch. One has to wonder how many times former councilman Cliff Numark voted for Torrance city budgets which spent more than the city had taken in ...

Then consider this latest slight on the same page:

The last box on the list above claims that Chen cut staff from the public safety budget. Nothing could be further from the truth. What happened was that the city council voted not to fill a number of positions. No one was fired, and no one was cut loose. Jean Adelsman used the same deceptive attack ad against Councilman Aurelio Mattucci, and she also failed in her bid to replace him on the city council.

Of course, Rizzo's complaint that Mayor Chen offered no strategic changes to fix the city's budget and fiscal problems was a lie, too. Earlier this year, Chen discussed potential revenue sources with the city manager, and he concurred that some of Chen's ideas would be very good for the city.

Just two pages into Numark's flyer, and there is nothing but distortions, errors, misquotes, and lies. To call this flyer a desperate attack ad would be an understatement.

Then look at the other pages from this expensive glossy:

Numark's headshot at the top is not very inspiring. One gets the feeling that he had the photo taken last minute.

Numark's list of accomplishments have some good points about him:

In the first item listed above, Numark takes credit for setting up $50 million in the city reserves. He was just one of seven city councilmembers. Mayor Frank Scotto was leading the fight to keep the city fiscally sound at the time,too. He didn't accomplish any of that on his own.

Numark pushed for an energy audit that saved the city $300,000 a year. That is something that write about. He deserves credit for that kind of reform, but remember that $300,000 a year is a drop in the bucket compared to the massive deficit spending which the Torrance City Council had approved through 2015.

Then he lists (yet again) the fact that he has been endorsed by public safety officers. Yes, he received the endorsement of the Torrance Police Officers and Firefighters Associations, but I have found that those endorsements don't speak for every officer, and Torrance voters are not swayed by them as much as they used to.

Sure, he scored the endorsement of retired police chief John Neu, too. Frankly, I find that endorsement rather suspect, if not unethical. Isn't the chief of police of any city supposed to serve and protect all residents? Why would he get involved in the political fray over a mayor's race?

As for Councilwoman Ashcraft, I must say that I have lost all respect for her. She's supposed to be a conservative, but she went all in for the liberal candidate for mayor. She also went along with raising the city's sales tax and voting for one budget after another which drew extensively from the city general fund, until the reserves were down to less than $1 million. Ashcraft was a big part of the fiscal mismanagement of the city, and she has no business sticking her finger into local politics at this point. I had even supported her two years ago to replace Tim Goodrich, and she turned into quite the disappointment.

Here is the backside of Numark's flyer:

The only thing worth commenting on here is that despite the massive number of endorsements scooped up by the Numark campaign, he still fell short in his bid for mayor. That is pretty astonishing.

One reason, I believe, that Numark failed in his bid for mayor is that he did not connect with voters on a routine, rigorous basis. While I was walking precincts in District Five, knocking on every door, I noticed one of Numark's canvassers a few doors behind him. Clearly, he was not very motivated, since he was not moving very fast. Furthermore, he was not hitting every door as I was. Last of all, I could tell that he was only canvassing for Numark, while I was dropping literature for George Chen and Aurelio Mattucci.

Numark thought he could win the race because he was the machine candidate with all the money and the right connections. Other volunteers along with myself went to every length to connect and convince voters to support our candidates. I wouldn't be surprised if the bad memories people had about former mayor Pat Furey also motivated people to vote a different candidate.

Final Reflection

I can't write enough how significant this Torrance mayoral election was. The Scotto-Furey-Geissert political hegemony in this town was crushed once and for all. Every political machine operative saw his efforts crushed in this election, as well. Mayor George Chen was outspent and out-endorsed, and yet he still won!

The voters saw through all the thick, slick ads that Numark and company foisted on the voters. The retiring El Camino College trustee sent out at least three of these large flyers, and apparently he sent them out to a wide array of voters, regardless of their political affiliation. Despite this political bombardment, he still lost. The people of Torrance want real change, real leadership, and they do not want the same-old politicians who talk big, back themselves up with lots of political endorsements and establishment connections, only to disappoint the voters yet again. 

Real change has come to the city of Torrance, and I am so grateful that I could be part of the transition.

Torrance City Council Election 2022, Reflections: The Mayor's Race

Torrance Mayor George Chen

Now that the dust is settling after the June 7th, 2022 election day, I wanted to take some time to analyze the results of the Torrance City Council races.

There is so much to unpack, and more importantly there is so much to celebrate.

Let's start with the Mayor's race.

It was a contest between twice-elected city councilman George Chen and twice-elected FORMER city councilman Cliff Numark.

Councilman, and now MAYOR Chen, has had an incredible, meteoric rise in the city of Torrance.

He first ran for city council in 2018, and he was elected by the at-large electorate, since the city council districts were imposed later that year.

He and Councilman Mattucci were elected that year, and their triumph was only augmented by the fact that they pushed out left-leaning incumbent Kurt Weideman. Quite an upset!

But Councilman, now MAYOR Chen's victories deserve more recognition.

Every time that Chen has run, he has not received the support for the political establishment in any way, shape, or form.

Every public sector union operating in the city has endorsed someone else (as in 2018), or they have endorsed George Chen's appoint. He became 0 for 3 in terms of public sector union endorsements.

Yet each time, George Chen has prevailed. This is really amazing!

But it gets better.

Chen has never sat on a commission in the city of Torrance. Ever. He has not played the "Torrance Way" political games which other city councilmembers and mayors have played for the last thirty years. As Southeast Torrance Homeowners Association President John Bailey had shared with me a few years ago, there is a political establishment in this town, something of a uniparty of Republicans and Democrats who give into all the special interests, who maintain their little club of politically connected self-congratulators. They have pretty much run things in the city of Torrance for the last few decades.

Mayor Chen is not part of that system. He has really broken it up!

He had no backing from the public sector unions.

He had no support from the Scotto-Furey-Ashcraft-Geissert-Armstrong political establishment.

And he won!

His second victory deserves considerable recognition, too.

In 2020, after the city council divided up the city elections in council districts, Chen had to make a choice: either finish the rest of his term at large and not run for city council again, or run a second time for a new seat, District Two.

To make the second choice even more challenging, another city council incumbent Geoff Rizzo lived in District Two, and he was up for re-election in 2020 regardless.

Rizzo had been elected twice already, and city wide: first in 2014, where he was the fourth from the top vote-getter. He had to run again in 2016, because his election filled in a seat for someone else. I even endorsed Rizzo in 2016, just to make sure that turncoat RINO Lie-Lani Kimmel-Dagostino did not get into city council that year.

Rizzo had two victories under his belt. What's more, he was a retired lieutenant from the Torrance Police Department. On top of that, he had the backing of every political machine in the city, including Scotto's people as well as the Torrance Police Officers Association.

Yet for all of that support, Rizzo lost to Councilman Chen by double digits: 57%-43%!

What an incredible upset for the city, and a big win for all city residents. It was really something! I spoke with a number of local conservative activists in Torrance, and they were convinced that Rizzo was going to win out, since he had the backing of the police officers' union.

And yet George Chen won!

Remember, that was his second victory, too.

And now, George Chen is mayor. I cannot think of any mayor in the city's history who did not first serve on one of the commissions. To the best of my knowledge, Councilman Chen is the first outsider to get elected to the city council without "playing the game."

What's also remarkable is that unlike the two previous elections for mayor, George Chen did not have to contend with another Republican splitting the vote. In 2014, Tom Brewer and Bill Sutherland refused to adults and put the needs of the city first, and they both insisted on running for mayor. That split allowed Creepy Pat Furey to cut through the middle and become mayor with a bare 40% of the vote.

This is a big deal, folks. This is not just a win for better governance in the city of Torrance, but a victory for everyone in the city who has felt slighted, ignored, or dismissed by the uniparty political class that put their own narrow interests ahead of the city.

And let's contrast George Chen with Cliff Numark more discretely.

Numark was the machine candidate, if there ever was one. As I had shared above, he had already been elected twice before to the Torrance city council. He was first elected in 2008, a record year for Democrats nationally as well as locally. He was then elected again in 2012.

But then came 2013, when Numark wanted to climb up the political ladder. He ran for the El Camino College Board of Trustees, and he got elected there. Numark abandoned the city of Torrance for political posturing: let's call it what it is.

Numark would get elected two more time to the college board, where without a doubt he locked up the support from teachers unions and other political special interests. He was riding high on the Democratic Party pathway to power. A number of powerbrokers in the South Bay wanted Cliff Numark to think about running for State Assembly next, since Al Muratsuchi will be termed out in 2026, but he may just as well as retire in 2024.

So, out of nowhere, nine years later, after serving on the College Board out of the public eye, where he went to every length to impose onerous health mandates on every student (regardless of their health status), Cliff Numark wanted to run for mayor of the city of Torrance. Really? 

"Where have you been, Cliff?" was probably the first question on a lot of people's minds.

Of course, the political establishment in Torrance asked Cliff to run for city council. I was really shocked, dismayed, and downright disgusted to see so many so-called "Republicans" line up behind Cliff Numark. Geoff "The RINO" Rizzo supported Cliff Numark, of course, since Chen had knocked him off the city council in 2020. It was just bitterness, pure and simple. But then Heide Ashcraft, too? A number of conservatives in the city told me that Heidi was a tough lady, and that nothing phased her.

And yet she caved and pandered to the political establishment, just like everyone else. Of course, no one should take this as a shock. She has been part of the political class herself for at least two decades. She served at least three terms on the Torrance School Board, and then the city council appointed her to fill in Sue Rhilinger's seat in 2013, followed by her top victory in Election 2014.

Still, I would have assumed that Councilwoman Ashcraft would have had enough fortitude to stand up to Creepy Pat Furey and his bullying, too. After all, retired Councilman Maureen O'Donnell rushed down to the Torrance City Council chambers in 2014 after soon-to-be former Mayor Pat Furey shamed Councilman Ashcraft in front of everyone.

Furey has been a true blight on the city of Torrance, yet of course he would endorse Cliff Numark, too. No surprises there. And just as every special interest in the city lined up behind Geoff Rizzo, so too they supported Cliff Numark for mayor. The police officers union, the firefighters association, and every other government union in the city AND THE COUNTY lined up behind Cliff Numark. The Sierra Club even leant their endorsement to Cliff Numark!

"Quittin'" Cliff was the machine candidate. He had more money, more endorsements, more of just about everything one presumably needs to get elected ...

And he lost!

George Chen beat the system, beat the political machine, beat the long-standing "Torrance Way" establishment in the city. What a victory!

Truly, it's all because of the Grace of God. There was nothing in George's strengh, experience, or skill-set which would have determined his victory. It's the blessings and grace of God that Torrance finally has a good mayor, Mayor Chen, to lead the city through the tough times ahead.

Election 2022: Hypocrisy, Your Name is Pat Furey

Soon to be gone Torrance Mayor Pat Furey is calling Councilman Aurelio Mattucci a hypocrite.

Really.

Check out the post he shared on his Facebook page:

The truth is that Aurelio Mattucci has received a number of donations from small business owners and developers because he wants to make the city of Torrance business friendly. I am surprised that some elected officials find that offensive.

Many people like the fact that Aurelio says what he means, and he does what he says he is going to do.

What is really galling about the attack post above is that the featured development is in LOMITA. It's not in Torrance, and Councilman Mattucci has opposed large developments like the one featured above. In fact, the city of Torrance weighed on this projected development and wanted to stop it, but it was ultimately the city of Lomita's decision.

But let's talk about creepy hypocrite Pat Furey.

Pat Furey accuses Councilman Mattucci of "say one thing, do another"? Really?

He also likes to use the word "rant" when describing comments that Mattucci has made in city council or during debates. The truth is that when Pat Furey hears people speaking the truth, he dismisses those comments as "rants." Furey is the same corrupt fraud who routinely shuts people down in city council meetings, only because he cannot handle watchdogs exposing the truth about the city's finances under his watch.

This same Pat Furey colluded in 2014 with a PAC sponsored by McCormick Ambulance, only then to vote to terminate the city's contract with the Torrance-based ambulance company Gerber in favor of McCormick. And Creepy Pat has the audacity to accuse others of "say one thing, do another"?

This is the same Creepy Pat who ushered in a bunch of ordinances on urban farming, only to refuse to enforce them?

This is the same Creepy Pat who violated campaign finance laws, and whose son violated campaign laws, too?

Hypocrisy, your name is Pat Furey.

Torrance Mayor Pat "Fraudy"

From a Torrance resident regarding Torrance Mayor Pat Furey:

He’s the WORST person! Absolutely disgusting! Only cares about lining his pockets! Mayor Fraudy doesn’t care about our residents or our city. 

We’ve been having tons of issues with Auto dealerships in the area illegally dumping chemicals down the residential gutters, using ALL THE PARKING in the residential neighborhoods for their employees and customers, using all the parking at Columbia park, throwing trash EVERYWHERE, having sex in their cars in the middle of the day in front of children, using drugs on their lunch breaks, hitting our cars, double parking truck haulers and blocking us in for hours and even days at times, violating all of their conditional use permits! 

I had a police officer and a parking enforcement officer both tell me and a neighbor they’ve been advised to “not get involved per his instructions! Fraudy also moved forward with an illegal build and an open car wash. 

Our whole neighborhood has tried over and over to address these issues the correct way for years. We’ve gone to city council meetings and he’s so rude. He won’t let any of us talk, he interrupts and rolls his eyes, cuts us off in the middle of speaking and is just plain rude!

Not to mention the money he stole from the city with no repercussions! How the hell is he still the mayor?

Get Mayor Fraudy out!

Ok…done with my rant. 😬🤣

Mayor Pat Furey: Corrupt, Lawless, Pro-Criminal, Won't Support Resolution of No Confidence Against George Gascon

Over the last three days, I have exposed a number of people on the Torrance City Council, men and women who are not taking a firm, courageous stance to put the city on recording with a Resolution of No Confidence in corrupt, pro-criminal Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon.

Now, I want to focus on one of the worst mayors in the state of California, and certainly in the history of Torrance: Pat Furey.

This guy got elected because two more qualified candidates for mayor split the vote. This happened two times in a row, and it's quite disgusting. This guy has no business sitting on the dais. He violated campaign finance laws in the city of Torrance. He has been one of the rudest, most incompetent heads of the city in recent memory. He cannot even control a meeting properly, ever since Black Lives Matter burst into the city council chambers in 2018 and began harassing the council and residents in the chambers.

This man is a disgrace. Jared Sidney Torrance is rolling over in his grave, to think that such perverted incompetence has become so commonplace.

This guy can't even take the lead to push forward a Resolution of No Confidence in Los Angeles County DA George Gascon.

Torrance deserves better. We need real leadership on the city council, not some wishy-washy weakness that cares more about virtue-signaling than actual virtue.

Pat Furey used to be a prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office! One would think that he would go on record opposing Gascon and supporting a Resolution of No Confidence in George Gascon.

What is his problem?!

Contact Torrance Mayor Pat Furey, and tell him to stop siding with corruption and pro-criminal policies, and tell him to support a Resolution of No Confidence against Gascon!

Email: pfurey@torranceca.gov

Phone: (310) 618-2801

Media Fail: Black Lives Don't Matter Mob Shuts Down City Council Meeting

It is essential for us to hold the local press as well as our local leaders accountable.

The fact is that the headline provides too much balance, and thus makes no effort to communicate the whole truth.

Check out the headline:

Clash between protesters disrupts Torrance City Council meeting

There was no clash. The people who were opposing Black Lives (Don't) Matter did not stand up and shout, nor did we interrupt or shout down other people who wanted to speak at the podium.

Three people were taken away in handcuffs and the Council Chambers were cleared

WRONG. Four people were arrested. One was cited out, three others went to jail and had to post bail. More info on that coming soon.

Three people were taken away in handcuffs and the Council Chambers were cleared after Black Lives Matters activists and counterprotesters clashed during the Torrance City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 14.

The room erupted into angry exchanges as one of the counterprotesters spoke at the podium during the public-comment period, sparring over how the city has handled the Dec. 9 police shooting of Christopher De’Andre Mitchell.

YES. That was me.

Here's a photo of my trying to speak to the Torrance City Councilmembers:

Mayor Patrick Furey called for a recess while the protesters shouted at one another and police officers swarmed in the front of the auditorium. Face to face with a line of police officers, activists chanted and shouted as city officials left the chambers.

Huh?

As of 9:30 p.m., it was unclear if the meeting would be restarted. With protesters and other audience members waiting outside the chambers watching the proceedings on TV monitors, the council discussed whether they could begin again.

Ultimately, officials allowed members of the media back into the room, but proceeded without allowing the public to return.

It was the city’s first meeting since the City Council removed the topic  of Mitchell’s shooting from the weekly agenda.

This part just goes to show that giving in to bullies just eggs them on to continue shutting down the city council meeting and violate the rights of otehrs.

At every City Council meeting since January, family members and other protesters attended the meetings to demand that police release body-cam footage of the deadly confrontation between Torrance police officers and Mitchell in the parking lot of a Carson Street supermarket.

They have not just demanded, they have bullied and disrupted the meeting at length.

Last month, the video — both edited and unedited versions — were released to the public, showing how Mitchell died.

Mitchell died by suicide by cop. He chose not to follow the lawful orders of two police officers, both of whom had their guns pointed at the thug. He chose to disobey, and therefore he chose to die.

Previously, the agenda item had given the activists a place to speak during each meeting. Without it, they were forced to speak during the 30-minute public comment period in the beginning of the meeting.

This week, the Black Lives Matters protesters were met by at least two counterprotesters, one of whom carried a sign that read “Black Lives Don’t Matter in Chicago/900 Aborted Black Babies Don’t Matter.”

The meeting went south when a counterprotester who identified himself as Arthur Schaper criticized the protesters’ efforts to disrupt the city’s meetings.

Yes, I did, and I am glad that I did so. Someone has to step up and start saying something.

“There’s a grieving mother here,” the activists yelled in response. As Schaper tried to continue, they shouted: “Say his name! Christopher De’Andre Mitchell.”

They did not yell in response. They yelled to silence any and all dissent. So much hate! When does it stop?

Schaper spoke after several Black Lives Matter activists, including Sherlyn Haynes, Mitchell’s mother, took to the podium.

“I’m demanding that I receive the officers’ who murdered my son names,” Haynes said. Activists snapped in support as she called for the officers to be fired.

Honey, it ain't gonna happen. Your son was a ruthless, chop-shopping, car-thieving, gang-banging thug. He didn't want to obey the laws, he didn't want to respect the rights of others. He got the outcome that he deserved!

Haynes and others urged the council to create a police oversight commission to review officer-involved shootings.

We need to commit these self-righteous, hateful bigots into a prison or a mental institution. We cannot continue to allow those nonstop abuses of power and mob rule.

Open Letter to Torrance City Council: Leave Mattucci Alone

Dear Torrance City Council:

I have received the following report from Councilman Mattucci:

https://www.facebook.com/aureliomattucci/posts/10156931955780909

[O]n January 8th the Torrance City Council will vote on whether or not they will investigate me and my involvement with exposing the truth, up fronting the funds to pay for a few dozen shirts, and for advocating for change in policy. 

I see this as a Political Hit Job and it doesn’t surprise me one bit.

I agree, and I am saddened to see this happening on my city council.

I am appalled that any of our elected officials want to waste time and resources investigating one of the members simply because he took a stand to fight against the previous coyote proposal.

The urban coyotes were killing pets and attacking people in growing numbers, and the reporting process was completely inadequate. The idea that Aurelio was getting rich or profiting from this fight is ludicrous. I received the shirt for free, and so did a few friends of mine, including one who lives in Texas:

Again, Anthony Garcia (to the left, standing with US Senator Ted Cruz) did not even pay for it! And at the November 27th Torrance city council meeting, more shirts were handed out FOR FREE!

The city should start investing the councilmembers trying to shame or limit Councilman Mattucci's efforts to do what is best for the city. Councilman Rizzo had a reporting error on his FPPC files, and no one raised their eyesbrows about that.

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2015/01/16/state-political-watchdog-panel-censures-torrance-councilman-geoff-rizzo/

State political watchdog panel censures Torrance Councilman Geoff Rizzo Councilman Geoff Rizzo has become the latest member of the Torrance City Council to be given a regulatory slap on the wrist by the state’s political ethics agency in the wake of last year&#x… www.dailybreeze.com

And let's not forget the McCormick Brouhaha:

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2016/03/07/state-fines-pat-fureys-torrance-mayoral-campaign-35000-for-hiding-illegal-campaign-contributions/

State fines Pat Furey’s Torrance mayoral campaign $35,000 for hiding illegal campaign contributions – Daily Breeze Torrance Mayor Pat Furey’s successful 2014 mayoral campaign was fined $35,000 Monday by the state’s political ethics watchdog for “intentional coordination and concealment” of improper ... www.dailybreeze.com

To investigate a city councilman for connecting with constituents to air their concerns is just the height of hypocrisy at this point.

By the way ...

Councilman Goodrich (an anti-war activist preaching against our men and women overseas while attempting to stifle the freedom of expression of an army general) has received plenty of money from outside of the city, including retired Congresswoman Lyn Woosley (From Marin County?!) and former state senate candidate Sandra Fluke. Why is all this outside money getting poured into our local elections?

Furthermore, I APPLAUD Councilman Mattucci exposing what that teacher did. She had her students write letters on a specific issue before the city council in order to sway the votes of the councilmembers. She was using her classtime to push her agenda. Shameful. That is beyond inexcusable, and that teacher should be put on leave for using her classroom, her public trust, to push a political agenda on the students.

The city should withdraw any interest in investigating any kind of financial or legal impropriety against Councilman Mattucci.

Rest assured, I am sending a loud message to every resident in the city of Torrance to write to the city and attending the January 8th, 2019 City Council meeting to denounce this stupid kangaroo court-investigation before it starts.

Sincerely,

Arthur Christopher Schaper

Torrance Conservatives Lose Mayor's Race Again. Who's to Blame?

Now I can write more freely about what happened with the Torrance Mayor's Race for Election 2018.

In 2014, two different members of the Scotto Team wanted to run for mayor after getting termed out from city council:

1. Tom Brewer
2. Bill Sutherland

Both candidates had run with Scotto in 2006 against the corrupt development projects forced on the city under Walker's regime. Dan Walker routinely violated the Brown Act, according to some sources, and he would pre-arrange the four other city councilmembers on his team to vote in such a way so that it would be a different set of four voters each time.

The massive building and construction in the city alarmed lots of voters, and the homeowners associations rose up to fight the cronyism--and they won.

Eight years later, Sutherland, Scotto, Furey, and Brewer were termed out and/or looking for higher office.

Brewer and Sutherland had met a few times to iron out their differences and find some way forward so that only one of them would run against Pat Furey for mayor. Nothing happened.

Bill Sutherland was dead to me in 2014 because in 2012, he had endorsed Al Muratsuchi for State Assembly. Not only that, but he had voted to appoint Democrat Kurt Weideman to the city council to replace Cliff Numark.

These decisions showed that Sutherland was more interested in himself and pushing his own ambitions rather than doing what was best for the city of Torrance. He had also floated an idea to raise the city sales tax by half a cent as one way to deal with the pension issues.

I supported Brewer, although even in 2014 he was low energy. He admitted that he was a moderate Republican too. A pro-choice Republican on abortion, for example, he also believed that Republican should give up on some of the divisive cultural issues in order to win over Millennial voters.

That kind of thinking does not generate or spring from a sense of leadership, boldness, or initiative. He was low-energy then, and he was low energy this year, too.

In 2017, Ron Riggs was the first candidate to throw his hat in the ring against Pat Furey for mayor. He had raised a significant sum of money for his campaign, too. Brewer then wanted to run a second time for mayor, and the two sides worked out a brief deal going forward. Riggs would change his mind and run for city council, and Brewer would endorse Riggs for city council, too.

Then Bill Sutherland jumped in to run again. Just as I had resisted his bid for council in 2014, so again I had no interest in supporting him. I wanted to help George Chen above all. I warmed up to Aurelio's campaign afterwards.

Then I got this sudden unpleasant news after I spoke to Ron Riggs a week after the deal had been struck. Brewer had backed away from his promise and chose to endorse Bill Sutherland. What a shame! Riggs was hurt, and I don't blame him. In turn, he changed his mind and chose to run for mayor once again.

For the next five months, I didn't make any endorsements for mayor or city council. I didn't know what to do about the mayor's race, since the two candidates were going to split the vote again and let Furey win re-election. Then came the Travis Allen-John Cox debate at the Marsee Auditorium in Torrance. Riggs was the only guy there. I also saw George Chen, but I didn't have a chance to speak with him.

At that point I decided to get behind Ron Riggs. He was the only one showing up to events. Brewer was low-energy as usual, and it seemed to me that he was more interested in coasting his endorsements and connections to the local political establishment as opposed to hustling to earn votes and victory.

If Brewer was such a strong candidate, why couldn't he clear the field to run for mayor? Such is the fallout when candidates run as a slate and set up machines. Scotto had worked with both men many times in the past. He expected some sort of fealty from them both, for sure.

I had asked Tom to drop out
since Ron Riggs was the only one
I saw doing anything

What do you do, though, when human ambition rises again? The two cancelled each other before, and this time Sutherland's refusal to sunset quietly hurt their chances again. Such is the result of putting insider friendships and political power ahead of the best interests of the city of Torrance.

Let's face it. Brewer was never a strong candidate to begin with. He didn't host many events in 2014 or 2018. He wanted to make nice and not take strong stances on key issues. One voter told me last week that Brewer showed no interest in taking on SB 54. "The city doesn't deal with immigration issues that much", the voter reported to me.

In contract, both Aurelio Mattucci and George Chen made SB 54 a focal issue in their campaigns. George Chen spoke out about it right away in the debates. Aurelio added the issue to his campaign literature. This issue resonates with everyone in the state of California, whether for or against, and a growing community in Torrance wants the terrible law repealed and demand that the city come out against the law in every way possible.

Also, Mattucci and Chen worked hard, put their names out there, including signs and flyers. Aurelio addressed quality of life issues in the city, too, and featured on his flyers the steps he had taken to start cleaning up the city. I must say that the Western Ave. border of the city needs a lot more attention, but Aurelio took steps to deal with it.

George Chen's signs were EVERYWHERE, including North Torrance, well-known as the most Democratic section of the city (Torrance Dem President Jimmy Gow lives there, along with Pat Furey, Kurt Weideman, School Board member Terry Ragins, and others). Chen's church connections were instrumental, too, in getting Chen elected, no doubt.

To recap, Brewer was a lukewarm candidate at the outset, and he reneged a straightforward, principled agreement to support his competitor Ron Riggs if he would switch his campaign focus to the city council. Riggs was willing to play along, but then Sutherland stepped in and Brewer broke his promise.

Blame Tom Brewer

Not acceptable.

If anyone deserves blame for Torrance conservatives' failure to win the mayor's seat, blame Tom Brewer. He didn't run a strong campaign, he didn't keep his promise to Ron Riggs, and he was more interested in resting on the laurels or efforts of endorsements and connections than doing the hard work of getting out there to rally voters and get the excited in his campaign.

Election 2018: Torrance City Council Low Energy Election

I guess there is no chance for making a difference unless men and women start getting serious about what's facing the South Bay and the rest of the state. Do we really expect to see victories in the South Bay, whether for the Torrance City Council races for the state assembly races if the same people keep doing the same things?

I have never seen such a wide bunch of low-energy candidates. It's so disappointing.

Tom Brewer and Ron Riggs couldn't make up their minds about who would run for mayor and then who else would run for a city council seat. I am so disgusted. This kind of dueling efforts pretty much guarantees Pat Furey another four years.

Tom Brewer is low-energy Jeb Bush. Boring.

Ron Riggs is hyped up Rick Santorum. Yes, he is a dark horse candidate, but he has energy, but not much else. Rick Santorum ran for President twice and lost both times. He was closer to winning in 2012! His plan to reach out to working-class voters and put their needs ahead of Wall Street and Big Business were all winning ideas, but he was not the vessel to impart those ideas.

Donald Trump took over and made those ideas a reality for American workers.

Here's another problem: the residents in the city are happy. No matter what crap and corruption waged by mayor Pat Furey, the roads are getting repaired, the streets are clean, the economy has picked up, too. I don't hear a lot of angry chatter from residents, either.

That kind of simple calm suggests that voters, however few choose to vote in June 2018, are going to go with the status quo. Some of the city council candidates have been raising a fuss about the dirty streets. The mayor and city staff are now addressing those concerns. For now, Pat Furey is going to play nice guy and respond to all the moral outrage over his bad dealings and the other issues.

There will not be a PAC going after Mike Griffiths this year, either, since Griffiths is not up for re-election. The hit pieces from reporter Nick Green at the Daily Breeze will not be effective, either, because voters are relatively happy. President Trump's reforms and regulatory rollbacks are going to help the vast majority of taxpaying residents in the city of Torrance.

I doubt that there is any moment to get rid of the Big Green phalanx of Kurt Weideman and Tim Goodrich. Everyone is happy, and even if crime is rising in key parts of the city, there aren't enough people affected buy it.

I want to see Pat Furey gone, but who's going to knock him out? Even if we whittled down the field to one candidate, I don't see Brewer or Riggs vamping up enough momentum to win.

The city council races ...

1. Heidi Ashcraft has my vote. I did not support her before because I was focusing so intently on the pension issue, but I have seen her demonstrate considerable independence on the council. She has stood up to Pat Furey and spoken her mind. She answers my calls, and she cares about my concerns, too. Her name has not officially appeared on the campaign filings, but she told me that she is running again. She has my vote.

2. I do not like Aurelio Mattucci anymore. He was a guy I could trust, but when he took the contact information for the Beach Cities Republicans to run for President in 2016, I found him to continue to act like a man who would cut corners to win. That kind of behavior is not acceptable. Besides, his "nice and clean" Torrance campaign, yawn!

3. I like George Chen, because Mark Tsuneishi knows him and likes him. I am OK with that. I do need to know more about the candidates.

4. Then there's Bill Sutherland running ... again! He would be better than Tim Goodrich and left-leaning Kurt Weideman. After all, Sutherland is not a left-wing Greenie ideologue. Still, this guy is like a John McCain type, more interested in playing nice and going along with the political establishment and the status quo. He also floated the idea of a quarter-cent sales tax increase to pay for more police on the streets. How about cutting costs?

I can definitely say that I am squarely in support of Heidi Ashcraft. To give a fully qualified answer on George Chen, I need to talk to him. I think it's premature for me to full endorse him when I still don't know that much about him.

The choices beyond all of that are not that great.

Here is what I am looking from the Torrance City Council:

1. No more Big Green boondoggles, including Community Choice Aggregation
2. Dealing with the pension debt in a serious fashion.
3. Standing up to the public employee unions to ensure that the city's budget and coffers go toward assisting the citizens, not just one dedicated, organized interest.
4. Keeping the refinery open and stopping this nonsense about banning Modified Hydrofluoric Acid.
5. Lowering the sales tax in the city. Wouldn't that be nice?!

That's all from me for now.

"I Am on the Same Side as You": Pat Furey Stands with Racists, Bigots, and Violent Street Thugs

Crooked Pat Furey openly endorsed the Defend Movement at a July 2017 Torrance City Council meeting.

His actions did not go over very well with readers in the public who followed up on these actions in Clint Paulson's blog "Torrance City Council".

The large fellow in the black shirt has attacked women and children.

Check out the video below:

Here's another video of the same kind of creeps and miscreants whom Pat Furey stands with:

Oh, and see how they Seema Hope the lady in the picture at the top, acted towards me at Cal State Fullerton:

Seema tried to shame me because "Your mayor doesn't like you."

AND?

That was supposed to make me feel bad? Really?!

I took her down in front of everybody at the Free Speech rally. She had the arrogant audacity to say "You're not welcome here!" much like how white supremacists would shame men and women of different skin color to leave different cities. Such racism, such bigotry.

She lied about me to the crowd on many issues, and every time she got taken down. "Nobody likes you", she shouted at me.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that these abusive bigots attacked parents and children at the Santa Ana Independence Day festival?

Here are all the videos you need!

Here:

And here:

These are Pat's peers. Really.

It's time to call him out on this bigotry. Such narrow-minded hatred has no place in Torrance.

Torrance is better than that!