Mayor Sharon Kalani Morning Meeting at Torrance Bakery (Full Videos)

 

Mayor Kalani wouldn't provide specifics about how she would bring in more police officers. She stated during the campaign that the previous mayor had failed to bring in more police officers. I wanted to know what specifically the previous mayor had failed to do, and she wouldn't speak to that.

On a positive note, she announced her opposition to red light camera ticketing and all the other schemes.

Big win! This is great, and I sense that this whole scheme is going to crash and burn. Don't let this issue slip by!

She provided everyone an opportunity to introduce themselves. Some of the people attending the meeting were city commissioners. I think that more residents should be attending. With all due respect, I think that commissioners attending is not the most representative for the city.

This was a bigger discussion, for sure. The deadline for filling councilwoman-turned-mayor Kalani's seat on the council was today at 5:00pm.

The city council will appoint the next councilmember on August 25th, 2026.

I brought up that the city needs to change the charter and the process so that the voters get to choose the next city councilmember. It's unfair for the city council to make the first choice and set up the successor with an election advantage on the council.

Either we allow a special election to fill the seat, or we should change the policy so that whoever is appointed cannot run for election for a full term. I am open to other suggestions, but this is wrong.

I recall in 2014 how local leaders were hoping to put Ray Uchima in the seat. They had had numerous discussions behind the scenes to make this happen. It was really dirty. Ultimately, the city council appointed Mike Griffiths to fill the seat vacated by newly elected Pat Furey as mayor.

I am glad that Sharon wants to change this process, too, but we need to organize the elections so that the successor election will take place in November after the city elections in March. Those are my thoughts. Another lady at the meeting agreed with me that we should figure something out.

Homeless issues came up. If anyone wants to challenge the points made, I am listening. For my part, I am glad to see far fewer homeless people wandering and loitering about. There are still issues here and there, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. Commissioners at this meeting also shared that the homeless moving into tiny housing have gotten care and training so that they move into housing and off the streets.

It costs less to replace sidewalk pieces than to clean them. Who knew? Is there another way to fix these issues?

Another resident asked why the city is taking control of all of Hawthorne Blvd. This is a big issue, but at least the city will have more say on how to run and clean and reorder the whole thoroughfare.

I have not been following the Hawthorne Metro takeover as closely as other issues, but the LA Metro Board has voted to shove this project onto our city, and there's nothing we can do about it ... so far.

There have been so many legal and political delays, however, that we may never (have to) see any Metro trains coming down Hawthorne Blvd. That works for me!

Meaning/Word Origin of Torrance

In Scottish Gaelic, the name Torrance comes from torran, which means a "little hill," "hillock," or "mound". It is the diminutive form of torr, meaning a heap or hill. The Scottish village and surname translate to "the place of the little hillocks" or "from the knolls". [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Gaelic Roots

Torr: A high mound, rock, or hill.
Torran: A small hill, knoll, or little hillock.
An Toran: The Gaelic place name used for the village in East Dunartonshire, Scotland.
The "-s": Added later as an English or Scots plural suffix after entering common speech, rather than being part of the original Gaelic root. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

Specifically, the city of Torrance is named after Founder Jared Sidney Torrance

Big Win for Torrance: Traffic Commission Rejects Automated Parking Cameras

On August 3rd, 2026, the Torrance Traffic Commission held another meeting on automated ticketing scheme, specifically to discuss and decide whether to recommend automated parking enforcement cameras for the city of Torrance.

A large number of residents attending the meeting:

Staff had to set up more chairs, as more residents poured into the West Annex Commission room. At one point, it was standing room only. Lots of people were really incensed about this topic.

I would imagine every person in the room opposed this terrible scheme.

Here are some highlight comments from the Traffic commission meeting on Augusts 3rd:

Tom (or Ted) has been on the other side of every issue I contest before the city council. He's unabashedly liberal, to the point that he didn't want "One Nation Under God" displayed in the city council chambers.

He readily--and light-heartedly--admitted that he didn't agree with me on anything ...

EXCEPT shutting down these Orwellian cameras!

The discussion among the traffic commissioners was telling, too.

The state of California has authorized an automated parking ticket enforcement scheme, but the law expired without any reauthorization:

One of the commisisoners reminded the public that there is already a third-party vendor enforcing parking issues, so why bring in cameras?

Ultimately, the Torrance Traffic Commission staff recommended that the commission NOT recommend automated cameras for parking enforcement!

And all of this begs the question:

If the Traffic Commission staff has investigated all the potential costs and benefits to the automated ticketing schemes, why waste the traffic commission's time?

I asked as much during my comments:

The work is not done, however.

This commission meeting determined that the city should not pursue automated camera enforcement for parking violations.

As for speeding and running red lights, the Traffic Commission will probably hold separate hearings on those issues. This is all a waste of time. The commission should be focusing on high-impact intersections, increasing speed limits where there is hardly any traffic, and bringing in more traffic lights for busier intersections.

At least residents can rest asssured that the city commissions (and the city coucnil?) are listening to the public and backing away from these abusive, unconstitutional automated camera schemes!

As for the latest traffic commission meeting, what was particularly interesting was the widespread agreement on opposition, from the most left-wing activists in the city,  like Ted or Tom the atheist (I call him Larry David, since he looks like the comedian main character from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," to people like me, who have been speaking up for the conservative side of every issue that comes before the city council.

I spoke with a few residents after the meeting, and they appreciated my remarks. One of them admitted that she had not been paying attention to city politics all that much, but then she learned about bad proposals like the automated cameras, and she knew that she needed to get involved.

There are lots of issues that divide residents in Torrance, but pretty much everyone is united against automated ticketing schemes. Let's hope that the city focuses on positive issues that will generate more consensus among residents, like:

1. hiring more police officerss

2. reducing the cost of business

3. repealing the utility users tax (since the city wants to get as much of the sales tax revenue before LA County takes it and wastes our money on its own failed pet projects

4. Cleaning up and fixing the roads

Please contact the Torrance City Council, and tell them to "Get Back to Business" and "Get Back to Basics" and fix real problems in the city:

ALL OF THESE CAMERA PROPOSALS MUST BE REJECTED!

(310) 618-2801

BLieu@TorranceCA.Gov

Dkartsonis@TorranceCA.Gov

BLewis@TorranceCA.Gov

ASheikh@TorranceCA.Gov

SKalani@TorranceCA.Gov

JGerson@TorranceCA.Gov

Letter to the Editor: School Districts Ask Parents to Front the Costs

 

(Response to California Schools Are Going Broke -- No Surprise There!)

Mr Schaper-

I read your article on California school financing today. and based on the content I felt I should share a couple of anecdotes from my past (although you may already be familiar with both these examples)-

My daughter attended the Palos Verdes School district for 11 years and graduated from Pennisula High in 2016. During that time I had two interactions with the district that clearly defined the district's overall priorities.

The first occurred when I called the District office to register my daughter as a new student. After a couple rings, the automated "phone tree" offered several options to choose from. The first option stated "If you are a teacher with a payroll issue, please press 1." I found it quite telling that the number one district phone priority was staff payroll issues.

The second occurred anytime my wife or I called my daughter's school to report her absent due to illness. Each time the answering machine provided directions on how to properly report our child's abscence, including a requst that we write a check to cover the lost revenue related to our childs abscence. I forget the exact amount but it was around $90 a day. I always laughed at this silly request, but once again it demonstrated the district priorities regarding my daughter's education.

As I said, you may have already heard these stories, but if not I thought it was worth my time to share these real world examples of California school district policies.

Thank you,

Dave Skinner

----------

Mr. Skinner:

Thank you so much for your letter.

The phone tree anecdote I have never heard before. It sounds par for the course, sadly.

Teachers' unions hold incredible political sway over school districts, which is a crime, since most of the teachers don't live in the district; therefore, it's not their taxes paying for the schools!

Regarding the school's arrogant request that you compensate them for your daughter's absence, I have heard similar stories, and they all need to be reported.

Of course, the wealthier, higher-performing school districts like Palos Verdes USD are getting the shaft when it comes to state funding, so of course the district has to ask parents to chip in. I live in the South Bay (Torrance!), so I am all too aware of the Ed Foundations needed to help districts cover costs.

It's so unfair!

Arthur Schaper

Mistakes on Ted Tanouye Memorial at Torrance High School

 

I have known about this memorial for many years. I've had a chance to visit from time to time, and finally, I had a chance to address a more pertinent issue. 3 years ago, I asked one of the Torrance city council members to fix a spelling error on the memorial. 3 years later, nothing has happened. Instead, there was a lot of drama and discussion about renaming a park or expanding the current memorial in front of Torrance High School. Before expanding on the memory of our hometown hero, Medal of Honor winner, we need to ensure that the current memorial properly represents him. I think it's pretty embarrassing that there's a spelling error, "seperate", on the bottom line of the first plaque. Also, I researched the statistic on the first panel, which states that 110,000 Japanese Americans were interned. The more accurate number is 125,000. If the Ted Tanouye Memorial Foundation, which helped create the plaque and the memorial, was holding off on repair because of the extensive time and cost, over one mistake, then also correcting the proper numbers of interned Americans should all the more justify redoing the plaque in its entirety.

For the record, I have submitted the following statement and request to the Torrance City Council:

Torrance City Council and Go For Broke Foundation:

I am grateful for the ongoing discussion in the city of Torrance regarding proper commemoration for our Hometown Medal of Honor recipient Ted "Tak" Tanouye.

However, I am displeased with the drama regarding whether we should rename a park or refurbish and expand the current memorial in front of Torrance High School.

Instead of expanding, how about improving the current memorial?

There are two errors on the Ted Tanouye Memorial in front of Torrance High School, which should be addressed as soon as possible.

1. The word "separate" is spelled wrong (seperate) in the last line of the first plaque (see attached photo)
2. The plaque reads that 110,000 Japanese Americans were interned during WWII. More accurate estimates have concluded that 125,000 Japanese Americans were interned.

Here's data regarding more accurate figures:

https://densho.org/catalyst/how-many-japanese-americans-were-incarcerated-during-wwii/

https://www.archives.gov/research/aapi/ww2/incarceration

https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/names-of-japanese-americans-forcibly-imprisoned/

Because of the fixed nature of memorials, I understand that the memorialists may have hoped to delay repair. It would be inartful to chisel out one word and correct it.

However, with the more accurate information about the number of victims of Executive Order 9066, a full restoration of the plaques could be justified, since TWO mistakes would be corrected.

I do stress that the spelling error should be fixed, above all. It's embarrassing, considering that the site is right across from a high school!

What steps will the city take to repair the spelling error, at the very least?

I must add another disappointment, because I shared my concern about the spelling error with Councilman Kaji three years ago, and nothing has been done. All the discussion about renaming sites should have been delayed until the errors had been fixed on the current memorial outside of Torrance High School.

Please respond.

CORRECTION:

Gail Morgan, a Torrance resident and very committed community leader, has provided me with the following information when I asked for the key party responsible for the Ted Tanouye Memorial:

TED TANOUYE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION Do not bother Go For Broke.

Here's further reporting to affirm the proper authorities on the memorial.

I have still asked the city to offer assistance. If the Foundation rejects that offer, that is their choice to make.

Future Armed Forces Day Parade Suggestions, by Scott Carter, President of TLPVRA

 

Armed Forces Day Parade Suggestions:

1) Make ingress and exit easier for visitors:

    a) Publish a handheld & media "Helpful Map of Parking Areas" and "Viewing Areas," both for VIP viewing and open public side of the road places to set up chairs and mats.

2) Allow route access after the 5k Run at 10:30am to 12:30pm for drop-off and setup on Torrance Blvd. Annouce defined entrance and exits (intersections) for families/groups

3) Explore additional participants from all South Bay/PV Schools (Bands, Cheer Teams) to participate in more attractions to increase attendance.

4) Allow Areospace Corporations to provide or sponsor floats and military/space hardware

5) Encourage LA-OC military bases to participate and be honored in the parade

6) Award attractive framed participation certificates to each group. They can put up the certificate in a public area, and people will see it and compliment them all year. The participants will come back every year.

7) Have more announcers at various locations of the parade

Regarding the Ted Tanouye Memorial Proposals

There has been a great deal of discussion in the city of Torrance about renaming Columbia Park after Torrance's hometown hero, Ted Tanouye.

Initially, I was all for it. He showed great bravery and honor for our country, even though the federal government had interned his family along with 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II.

That selfless service deserves great honor.

The city has released a survey for residents to share their thoughts and vote for possible preferences to honor Tanouye. (Click here)

Some arguments and opposition have emerged in the city regarding whether the proper protocols have been followed to name--or rename--public spaces in Torrance.

This discussion matters because the city council attempted to move the Armed Forces Day parade to the Torrance Airport, near Skypark Drive, and they attempted this move without first getting input from the city.

Transparency matters, and it must be consistently applied and respected, even for commemoration efforts.

Besides that, what is the history behind the naming of Columbia Park? Should that be removed so quickly? We need to take all these questions into consideration.

I reached out to another resident to get more feedback about the Columbia-Tanouye proposal.

I submitted the following question to her:

Would you mind explaining to me why the Ted Tanouye Foundation opposes renaming Columbia Park after the veteran?

I would like to understand. Thanks!

Here are the extended remarks that she shared with me:

There is already a wonderful and beautiful memorial to Ted at 2200 Carson Street, directly across the street from Ted's Alma Mater, Torrance High School, dedicated in 2004. 

The site was the favorite of Ted's only surviving brother. That area was once a part of Torrance High School when Ted attended. Students at the time Ted attended assembled there every school morning to say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem. Ted, as Captain of the Varsity Football team and also as President of the Japanese Club, would lead those two traditions. 

Columbia Park had no meaning to Ted's life when he was alive. That area was first farmed by the first native California tribe, and before WWII it was farmed by a Japanese American family that is not related to the Tanouye family.

It should to be renamed after one of those two groups. The person who proposed it was looking for glory to save his council seat. He is originally from Gardena and graduated from Gardena High. One of our board members was informed of his interest and why. We investigated the plan and knew it was not needed, as we had already honored Ted in the area of Torrance where he lived and attended school. until his enlistment in the Army.

Again, his only living brother worked with us and the Torrance High School Alumni Association to honor our fellow TARTAR. Also, there is another place named after Ted. The California National Guard Army on Cabrillo and Lincoln is the only CSNG [California State National Guard] building to be named after a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and hometown hero.

Again, neither Ted nor his family had anything to do with North Torrance or that area. Ted has been honored properly at the memorial at Torrance Blvd and Maple in front of City Hall. His name is above all others, and in gold we made sure of that. Hope that answers your question. We will protect Ted and his name from all political ploys.

This argument makes a lot of sense to me.

I wasn't aware until I received this message that the National Guard Armory in Torrance was named after him, as well! I could see how further efforts to name other locations after Tanouye would politicize or diminish his namesake. A person's name and legacy should not be turned into a commercialized effort, nor a narrow political end.

Councilman Jon Kaji shared these remarks with me when I asked more questions about the Columbia proposal:

Arthur:

Since first introducing the recommendation to rename Columbia Park after Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Ted T. Tanouye, the proposal was submitted with the full support of the Tanouye family.

The family’s position remains unchanged, in spite of opponents who have proposed an “expanded” park on the opposite side of Carson Street.

For your information, I asked City staff for an estimate for each option.

A new sign at Columbia Park would cost from $10-$15,000.

An expanded park would run from $850k - $1.5 million.

Additionally, CM Gerson failed to disclose that the City hired a consultant and staff time totaling more than $15,000 in preparation of his Torrance High School proposal.

The survey that appears on the City website is open to anyone who chooses to respond, whether Torrance residents or outside individuals.

The cost is considerable, and I don't think a consultant should have been hired to look into this matter so extensively, either. 

On another note, the person who informed me about Ted's brother told me that Kaji was proposing the Columbia Park renaming effort out of political gain. Based on his inappropriate remarks about his opponent David Kartsonis earlier this month, I have sadly seen this pattern of exploitation of the Internment of Japanese-Americans. It's very unforunate that Kaji would do this.

Also, based on what I have received from one of the contacts I spoke with, I finally submitted my decision, and I am asking the Torrance City Council to do nothing (Implement Option Three) at this time regarding any proposed changes to city locations or memorials in the city.

I would invite everyone in the city to also consider Option Three, and reject the Columbia proposal as well as an updated memorial in front of Torrance High School.