City Council - Regular Meeting

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Hey, hey, [music] hey. Heat. Heat. meeting to order. It's 5:00 pm. City clerk, may I have a roll call, please?

Yes, your honor. Council member Gerson, present. Council member Kaji, here. Council member Colani, present. Council member Lewis present. Council member Matui here. Council member Shake present. Mayor Chen, I too am present.

The council will now recess to close session to confer with the city manager and city attorney on the agenda matter listed under 13A real property conference with real property negotiator. 13B conference with labor negotiator. 13 C conference with legal council anticipated litigation. Tonight I have another uh item. Subsequent to the posting of the agenda, the city attorney received information from outside council regarding the deadline to file a notice of an appeal in the case of California civil rights department versus city of Torrance LC case number 25 STP04155. The notice of appeal needs to be filed by January 15, 2026, and the city attorney requires immediate instruction from the city council. Because time is of the essence in this matter, the city attorney requests that the city council consider discussing this matter in close session this evening. In order to take action on a matter that is not on the agenda, government code section 54954.2B2 2B2 requires a determination by a twoth3 vote of the council that immediate action is necessary and that the need to take action arose subsequent to the posting of the agenda. Do I have a motion, please?

Motion to take immediate action and discuss the item this evening. Second

start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. Thank you. The city council will consider this item as part of tonight's close session agenda as item 13D pursuant to government code section 54956.9D4 conference of legal council initiation of litigation here. A close session on these matters of the items that listed previously in 13A through C is authorized by California government code section 549 56.8 54957.6 and 54956.9D2. We return after close session. Thank you. Do you feel

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Yes. Good evening everyone. Happy new year. We're now reconvening the city council meeting. It is 6:43 p.m. I want to welcome everyone joining us in the council chamber as well as those watching remotely. We have been in close session. City manager, do you have any actions to report out or city attorney? City attorney. Uh yes, your honor. City attorney uh Patrick Sullivan. Uh the council uh authorized uh in close session the city to file a notice of appeal in the California civil rights uh department versus city of Torrance case.

Thank you. Moving on to flag salute invocation. We honor those who make it possible for us to be here today. If there is anyone here in the audience who is on active duty or a military veteran, will you please stand or raise your hand so that we may recognize you? Please remain standing in our rise as Councilwoman Lewis will lead us in the flag salute and Councilman Matuchi for the invocation.

Please join us as we salute our flag honoring our country. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Dear Lord, thank you for giving us another shot, not a shot at this. And um we hope that tonight's uh meeting uh brings us uh good ideas and uh let's hope that our decisions benefit the people of Torrance as a whole. Amen.

Thank you both. Moving on to item three, announcements of withdrawn deferred or supplemental items.

Good evening your honor and city manager. Uh item 8L public works will be withdrawn is to approve triparty agreement for usage of recycled water at the Torrance refinery. Item is deferred to the next city council meeting scheduled uh January 27th. There are also supplemental materials available online on the city website at toranca.gov for the following items. AN from the city manager to approve first amendment to memorandum of understanding with the South Bay council of governments for the administration of measure A local solutions fund C 2025-215 to accept an appropriate funding and authorize a mayor as signatory for lease agreements and 9A from community development to conduct public hearing and consider adoption of resolution regarding eligibility adoption of squa exemption for 270 unit residential condominium development on property located in the PD zone at 2325 Kshaw Boulevard referred to as a Torres level project Rose Equities. Thank you, honor.

Thank you. Moving on to item four. I'll take a motion to weigh further reading of resolutions and ordinances after number and title. So moved. Second. Start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously.

Thank you. Moving on to item five, council committee meetings and staff announcements. I have probably I think the first three. I ask that we adjourn tonight's meeting in memory of Dan Walker, who passed away on December 6, 2025. Dan Walker served as mayor of the city of Torrance, California from 2002 until 2006. Follow an extraordinary career of public service spanning 27 years as commissioner, council member, and mayor. A pillar of the South Bay community, Mayor Walker devoted his life to service, guided by a deep love for his country, his city, and the people he served. Following his service in the US Coast Guard Reserve and his graduation from California State University, Long Beach, he began his remarkable journey in public service in 1975 with the city of Torrance as a planning commissioner. He was elected to the Torrent City Council in 1978, serving until 1992, and was reelected in 1994, continuing until 2002 when he was elected mayor. He was elected more times and served longer on the city council than any council member in the history of Torrance. Mayor Walker served as chairman of the community planning and design committee, chairman of the ad hoc roseflat committee, chairman of the employee relations committee, and as a member of the citizen development and enrichment committee, and the finance and government operations committee. He also served on the redevelopment agency board. As mayor, he represented Torrance as a delegate to the Sanitation District of Los Angeles County, the Southern California Association of Governments, also called Skagg, and the South Bay Cities Council of Government, and serve

as chairman of the Ad Hoc Economic Development Partnership. Under Mayor Walker's leadership, Torrance remained one of the safest cities in Los Angeles County while maintaining fiscal stability and a thriving business community. His forward-looking vision helped revitalize the Llama Fashion Center and the Torrance Town Center. That same vision extended to the city's public spaces with the development of Discovery Park, the city's first new park in Torrance in 20 years and played a key role in bringing the West Coast's first universally accessible accessible treehouse to Charles H. Wilson Park thanks to the collaboration with Forever Young Tree Houses and the Anenburgg Foundation. He was also instrumentation instrumental in the creation of the George McConnell Theater and the Torrrent Art Museum. Major infrastructure improvements during his tenure included the rehabilitation of Atasia Boulevard, Krenshaw Boulevard, Carson Street, and numerous other areas. standing as tangible evidence of his commitment to progress. In 1987, Mayor Walker was appointed by Governor George Duke Major to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board where he served through 1991. He also served on the Friends of Child Advocates Board of Directors from 1978 to 1993. Mayor Dan Walker gave of himself generously and with joy, always making himself available to hear and address the community's needs. His dedication, commitment leave a lasting legacy and a significant footprint on the city of Torrance that will endear for years to come.

The city of Torrance extends its deepest condolences to the Walker family and all who knew him. Mayor Walker will be deeply missed by those who had the privilege of knowing him and by the community he so faithfully served. The city will host a memorial service honoring Mayor Walker on Thursday, January 29th, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. at the George Nano Theater. You're all invited. Next announcement is also mine. I just didn't want to blow right through the next one really quickly. Just to honor Mayor Walker, I'd like to invite the community to come together and volunteer for the upcoming Greater Los Angeles homeless count in Torrance. This important effort helps gather crucial data that organizations use to advocate for the unhoused and allocate resources effectively. The Torrance homeless count will take place on Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 beginning at 8:00 PM at the Ken Miller Recreation Center. Volunteers are essential and no prior experience is required to participate. Volunteers will drive the city's consent cons census tracks and visually count individuals experiencing homelessness. Volunteers must be 18 years or older to participate. You can register individually or as a group by visiting www.count.lhsa.org and selecting Torrance as your deployment site. Together we can make a difference in our community. Thank you and thank you for the many volunteers who do this year after year.

My third announcement, I'd like to notify the public of an update regarding to our upcoming legislative advocacy committee meetings. The state state legislative advocacy committee and the federal legislative advocacy committee were originally noticed to meet on Wednesday, January 22nd at 2:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. respectively due to a recently scheduled Metro Board meeting occurring that same day. These committee meetings will be rescheduled. So take note right now. The new meeting date will be Monday, February 2nd with the state legislative advocacy committee meeting at 400 pm and the federal legislative advocacy committee meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. and they both will be here in the council chambers. This change will be formally reannounced at our next city council meeting on January 27th. Councilman Matuchcci, you have the next one.

Thank you, Mayor. The Armed Forces Day special standing committee met on Monday, January 12th, 2026 to receive an update from staff on the 2026 planning efforts currently underway for the 2026 Armed Forces Day celebration. Staff reported that the 64th annual Forces Day parade and celebration is scheduled to take place May 15th through the 17th, 2026, with the parade occurring along Torrance Boulevard on Saturday, May 16th. Staff also provided an overview of the key events being planned, including the military uh dignitary welcome reception, the parade exhibit, and dignitary dinner reception. Official meeting minutes along with staff report with recommendations will be presented at the January 27th, 2026 city council meeting. Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Councilman Kaji. This is yours. Thank you, Mayor. I'd like to request council concurrence to direct staff to pursue a federal earmark for the World War II Japanese American monument project. As the council is aware, the state of California has already appropriated $5 million towards the project. Securing a federal earmark to match that amount would allow us to complete construction while significantly reducing the impact on the city's general fund. I am requesting that staff coordinate outreach through our federal advocacy firm Vans Skoyak to both US senators and our two congressional representatives as we move into the new year. Thank you. Oh, do I have concurrence?

I also want to just make a comment that we should also recognize Assemblyman Omaruchi for his efforts to bring in $5 million and also Kanji Sahara for all the efforts he did and they should be recognized as well. Well, thank you. With that, I concur. Okay, that's concurrence. I see seven thumbs up. Thank you, Councilman Kaji. And I believe Councilman Gerson, you have an an oral or announcement.

Yes, mayor. I would like to uh to make an oral for concurrence tonight. Uh Mr. Chapari and I sent a excellent I sent a presentation to assist um little smaller from this distance. Um this concurrence uh is in two parts. Part A is uh that I would like to ask for concurrence to instruct the parks and rec commission. Uh that they label the recommendation to rename Colombia Park to Ted T. Tonaway Park as option one and the part B uh that we instruct the parks and rec commission to add option two which is described in this presentation to their uh community outreach and consideration. Um before I jump into option two, next slide please. I wanted to um just briefly discuss that I don't feel like I can submit uh an application through our ad hoc renaming committee. Um, as people may have seen, when a when a the other council member put it through, you put in your position, and then once that position is submitted, it goes to the mayor who may or may not wish to have a conversation with me. And then it's submitted to the ad hoc committee, which is three other council members who read my position, whether they've had a a verbal conversation with me or not, and then have a conversation away from the whole council. Um, this just feels like a Brown Act violation. It sounds like a serial meeting to me. And so I wanted to uh informally ask the city attorney to to take a look at this. Um even if it's not, I mean, like I said, it feels like a Brown Act violation, but it could certainly give the appearance as such. Um I think that this would be better served in a commission or staff um reviewing prior to it coming before the full council. But that's the reason why um you get to hear me tonight bringing

this before the whole council for concurrence. Next slide, please. When I first heard option one, my greatest concern was that I heard an option that brought people away from the Ted Tonaway monument. Um so many people contributed to this. It's it's a gorgeous monument. Um I visited it again today. The seating, the plaques, the the the little memorial wall with all the contributors. It it is it was truly a wellthoughtout um act of love to create this Ted Tonaway monument. And so it took time. Um, and I I want to thank the council members, uh, council member Khalani and Shake and Lewis, um, for what I feel like was a corrective action for us to take some time rather than taking action at the first time that option one was brought up so that that we could think about it, talk about it, and and this gave me a an opportunity to really think about a vision about how I would want to honor um, this American hero and and former harder. Next slide, please. So, part one is to establish a new park called the Ted Tonaway Memorial Park. To kind of give uh an idea, I put up a map here of the area. So, the street running all the way from left to right, which is just uh it's below center median, it is Carson Street. And the graduation cap in the lower leftand corner is Torrance High School. If you look across the street from Torrance High School school, you'll see a circle and a line. The current location of the Ted Tonaway monument. When this monument was created, it's my understanding that that piece, which was originally a part of Elpra Park, was just created as as as an open space and it does not have any specific designation.

Across the street is a green triangle across Carson Street. Um, the interesting thing about that is we have been planting cherry blossom trees. Um, I know that my Japanese friends probably picked up on it intuitively, but to bring my non-Japanese friends in, that's why the presentation was in pink is the is the nod to the cherry blossom. Uh, the rest of the green area is Elpado Park and uh, that kind of gives you an idea of the area. Next slide, please. If we take the space that currently holds the Ted Tonaway monument and add the triangular space above it that has the cherry blossoms, it creates a beautiful park um that could be named the Ted T. Tonaway Park. Next slide. Part two is street renamings. So, Elpra Avenue um runs northeast to southwest from downtown Torrance all the way to Carson and then it makes a perpendicular change and I remember uh being 15 16 years old at Torrance High thinking this is really awkward. Um that street would be amazingly renamed to Ted Tono Memorial Drive. Um, Torrance High School has an address of 2200 West Carson. So, the renaming of the street has no residential, commercial, or school district impact, but it allows the monument to have an address that would be at Ted T. Tonaway Memorial Drive. flanking on the other side of the park um is a piece of Manuel Avenue that that separates um that would separate that that boundary between Alpra Park and Ted Tonaway Memorial Park. And that would be very nicely named um

go for broke way in honor of Ted Tonaway's military unit, the 442nd. Next slide, please. Part three would be the establishment of a new memorial honoring the 442nd RCT, Ted Titanoay's military unit. Um, this is just an AI generated image. I asked for a bronze uh bronzed crane on the gopher broke side and a in honor of the the NIS heritage and a bronze bald eagle on the memorial drive side in honor of of the American and military heritage. Um, I did have the pleasure to um to give this presentation to two other people. Um, one of which is council member Colani because this would actually fall into district 4. While the Torrance High School attendance area includes students from district 3, four, and six, the park itself would be in district 4. And so, you know, through conversation, I know that Council Member Keelani um felt it just as important to me that people who drive down Carson every day. Thousands of people would see Ted T. Tonaway Memorial Park as a reminder of the name and uh and the date of his action prominently displayed to help us all remember. Next slide, please. So when I see all three of these put together, a brand new park in the honor of Ted T. Tonaway, the renaming of the streets and the memorial, I see a a true package. And um it is the way that I envision honoring my Tarter brother, uh Ted T. Tonaway. I see a time when um 10th grade Torrance High School students in their um world history classes will

take a walking field trip across Tedt Tono Memorial Drive to be able to sit and learn and talk about World War II at the same time that they learn about the impact of of of this amazing American hero and the role that he played at Torrance High. Um, in fact, one of the pieces of information I was given is that the the location of the monument was selected because Ted Tonaway stood there every day before school to salute the American flag um before school started. And and so to continue that amazing history. Um, one more slide, please. I just wanted to restate the concurrence that I'm asking for is that we instruct the parks and rec commission to label the renaming of Columbia Park as Ted Tonaway Park as option one and that we uh give option two as described in this presentation to the parks and commission for their continued community outreach and consideration. Mayor, may I have concurrence, please? Okay, I see one, two, three, four, five. We got concurrence. Okay. So, really, it's just the same action as before. You're just adding another option to look at.

Yes, sir. Okay. And you're just telling the parks and recreation to look at it. Those two options. That's your

This all goes to parks and recreation for their outreach until they're ready. And the nice thing is is that having two options also lets the community know that if somebody comes up with a better third option um that they can also submit that to parks and rec commission it is not only council members who come up with ideas. All right. Okay. Thank you. I think let's move on to community matters. Item 6A. The number is not. Should I be reading this or Rebecca? I just want to make sure. The number is not used. So, city clerk may have a number and title for number for items 6B through 6F. So, these are uh resolutions for retirement for folks for adoption only. So, we're going to try to do this in one group. City clerk.

Yes, your honor. The first is resolution number 2026-01, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, honoring police lieutenant Cody Charlie upon his retirement from the city after 24 years of service. The next is resolution number 2026-02, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, honoring police officer Dusty Garver upon his retirement from the city after 26 years of service. The next is resolution number 2026-03, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, honoring police officer Henry Flores upon his retirement from the city after 24 years of service. The next is resolution number 2026-04, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, honoring Milo Stano upon his retirement from the city after 43 years of service. And the last is resolution number 2026-05, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance honoring public safety dispatcher Leilani Corona upon her retirement from the city after 20 years of service.

Move to adopt resolutions 2026 02, 20263, 2026 04 20265. Second start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. Thank you.

I think we just improve our process a little bit. Knock out that many all at once. At this time, please recognize and celebrate the important role the history and preservation play in our community as our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. I would like to invite my colleagues on the city council to help read the proclamation recognizing this historic milestone. Following the reading, I'd like to invite the president of Torrance Historic Society, Michelle Perry, along with board members Janet Payne, Debbie Hayes, Rebecca Pouyet, and Chris Acriman who are with us this evening to join us at the podium to accept this proclamation on behalf of the city's historians. We'll start on my right with Councilman Gerson. Whereas in 1776, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed the founding ideals of the United States of America, establishing a nation rooted in liberty, democracy, equality, and the pursuit of opportunity. And whereas the year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary, also known as the semiquincentennial of the founding of the United States, providing a historic milestone to reflect upon our nation's past, honor its present, and inspire its future. And

whereas America's 250th anniversary offers an opportunity for communities across the nation to celebrate the diverse people, cultures, and contributions that have shaped our country and strengthened its democratic institutions. And whereas the city of Torrance embodies the spirit of America through its rich history, cultural diversity, strong civic engagement, and commitment to innovation, public service, and community pride. And

whereas the city of Torrance encourages education, reflection, civic participation, and unity by engaging residents, especially youth, in understanding our shared history and the responsibilities of citizenship. And

whereas commemorating America's 250th anniversary aligns with Torrance's dedication to honoring history while focusing an inclusive forward-looking community that reflects the values upon which the nation was founded. Now therefore, I, George Chen, as mayor of the city of Torrance, California, do hereby proclaim the year 2026 as America's 250th quint semiquincentennial anniversary in this city of Tor torance and encourages residents and schools, businesses, community organizations, and civic institutions to participate in commemorative educational and celebratory activities that honor this historic milestone and promote civic pride, unity, and engagement signed this 13th day of January, 2026. All right, [applause] I'm going to ask the uh folks from the Torrance Historical Society to come to the podium. I'm going to come down with you as historical. I know someone thought I said historical, but I know it's a little tongue twister.

Historical. I will come down and uh do any of you members want to share a few remarks? Oh, sure. Um just wanted to say that the Torrance Historical Society will gladly accept the proclamation on behalf of America and its 250 anniversary. We'll leave it at that. Um and we do want to thank you for allowing us to be a part of this celebration in the city of Torrance. Thank you.

Great. You know, this is a rare moment. I don't think any of us will be around next time 250th. I'm going to ask all my colleagues to come down as we uh present the proclamate to you to join you in this historical moment. Thank you. Historical This could be funny. [laughter]

All right. Grab one. You want to practice? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

My leg. I thought I said historical. Thank you. Yeah. Let's let's balance this out a little bit. Let's see. You know, there's you got one, two, three, four, five. I think you guys should be in the middle. I'm going to come on the side here because I'm unbalanced. Yeah, Tim is over there.

He said, tell him where to go. [laughter] Somebody's telling you what to do. Feel like I just got married. [laughter] Okay. Happy birthday.

Happy birthday, America. Okay, there you go. Let's do this. Let's do this. S, you count down. We're gonna say America 250 together. Okay, you give us a countdown, S. 250. Okay, we can be noisy. Yes, we can. Thank you. Thank you. We're gonna get it in a frame on an easel.

Keep us keep us knowing what you got. Thank you. [laughter] All right. Thank you. Thank you, members of the Torrance Historical Society. I just want to make sure for the record I pronounce it correctly. I know this guy on the left is going to say I did it wrong again. All right, that was terrific. Moving on to oral communications number one. This portion of the meeting is reserved for comments on items under the consent calendar or items that are not on the agenda. Under the Ralph and Brown Act, city council cannot act on items raised during public comment, but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed, request clarification, or refer the item to staff. Speakers under oral communication are limited to either oral communications number one or oral communications number two and no

longer than two minutes per speaker. Time starts when you step up to the microphone. If presenting handout material to council, please provide 11 copies to the city clerk before speaking. Handouts will be distributed while you speak. City clerk, do we have anyone?

Yes, your honor. Charlie Selenus. Good evening everyone. as we're transitioning from 25 to 26. Uh I don't want people to forget five years what you endured up until the end of 25. Every single council meeting was disrupted by shouts and comments from the audience. And when people came to the microphone, they said horrible, vicious things. They insulted you. They threatened you, humiliated you, and through your courage and strength, you stayed. You didn't quit your jobs. You didn't take six leave, not show up, and we wore them down. And now we have peaceful meetings that people can come to and show the city council and staff that we care what happens in Torrance and we do appreciate all the work that you do. And I take my hat off to you for continuing when other people bailed. I don't want to mention anybody in particular, but I'm I'm asking the citizens of Torrance now, please come back to the city council meetings and share respectfully what you need or what what you'd like to say is an open mic. Use it and thank you for letting me

share that. Thank you, sir. and thank you for your many, many years of service to our nation. Liam Walsh. [clears throat]

All right. Um, good evening, Mayor Chen and Council. My name is Liam Walsh. I'm a volunteer with the South Bay Bicycle Bicycle Coalition and wanted to just speak briefly regarding item 8B on the consent calendar. Um, I [clears throat] am opposed to the proposed bike ordinance because it'll make it less safe and more challenging to ride a bike in Torrance. Uh, specifically banning class 3 ebikes from sidewalks where there is no safe alternative will push people either into high-speed traffic on the street or off their bike altogether. I propose you modify this ordinance to only ban bikes from sidewalks when there is an adjacent bike path or protected lane. Um, another the a number of the other proposed changes are dup kind of duplicative with state vehicle code such as the classifications of bikes and the two arrest rule. I just encourage you to take another look at it. Um, this past weekend I biked along Hawthorne Boulevard on my way home from Wilson Park. Um, because there's no bike lane, I rode carefully along the sidewalk, yielding to pedestrians as required by state law. Um, I don't like riding on the sidewalk, but I also don't like riding with 50 mph traffic. um taking only um and I think that you know people that ride recklessly on bikes often do so with electric motorcycles that aren't street legal to begin with. Um so instead of coming down on all responsible bicyclists uh for the actions of a few that are already illegal, I would encourage you to focus on making it safer to bike in Torrance uh with physically separated lanes for safe biking, walking, and driving. Um, and I think the Roondo Beach Boulevard Metro Transport Project is a great opportunity to make these kind of infrastructure improvements that would provide safe places for people to individually walk, bike, or drive. Um, and lastly, on an unrelated note, I just wanted to encourage you to attend the Metro Planning and Program programming committee meeting tomorrow in support of the Sealine extension to Torrance um, and also the board meeting next Thursday. And thanks for Torrance Transit for providing um, transportation to those meetings and I took it here. So appreciate the service from the city and thanks for your support.

Zade I Abraham.

Hello. Uh hello everyone. Uh my name is Zade and I'm here to represent uh a support for the hybrid route alternative for the metro seal line. Uh there is a planning meeting tomorrow. I wish everyone would be able to call in. There's also a uh metro meeting on the 22nd. Everyone can be please please show up at the Torrance buses at 9:00 am both tomorrow and next week on the 22nd to show up. For a personal note, I was able I was working in Santa Monica uh but living here in Torrance and it took me about two hours by train to get to my job and this light rail would have cut that down from like two hours down to like 45 minutes to an hour at most. Trains are a public good and everyone should please come out and support the sealine extension. the hybrid of proposal is the way to go. Thank you and have a good day.

Okay, these are that exhaustes the list of folks who signed up, but we still have oral communications number one. For those of you who wish to speak, please come up to the microphone. You have two minutes per speaker. Thank you.

Good evening. I didn't come planning to speak, but I did jot down a couple thoughts. First off, I just want to say that I'm very glad after years of being restricted and limited that we finally have a reasonable amount of time to speak. I want to thank the council members who fought to get that corrected. Uh I promise not to take up all two minutes though. Uh just I was sort of inspired to come up and I wanted to thank Council Member Gerson uh for his well thoughtout suggestion to honor our hometown hero Ted T. Tanou. Um, I especially want to thank him for presenting in a way that encourages the community to have ownership and ensures that the residents actually have a voice in the decision and importantly in a way that raises up and doesn't diminish the work of the hundreds of people who have worked in our city here torrance hard to preserve Tanoi's memory. Thank you.

Anyone else wish to speak? Okay. Well, I instead of whispering, she said, uh, Councilwoman Khalani said, "We have six students from Rodondo High, I guess, Rodondo Union High visiting us. So, welcome to Torrent City Council meeting." Hopefully, you get credit for coming to tonight's meeting. Um, for clarification, this is for general speaking, right? Like I'm allowed to bring anything items that are not on the agenda.

Not on the agenda. Okay. Um I'm here tonight because to be silent is to be complicit. And I'm really frustrated at the lack of actionable accountability for ICE in our communities and Los Angeles as a whole and across the nation. And I think that there's more that we can be doing to hold these people accountable. um if I were snatched off the street and not presented with the correct documentation, I would hope that people would be looking for me and hold whoever took me accountable. And that's what h what's happening to our communities and neighbors right now. And I they say that power begins in your local communities. And I'm calling our congressmen, our representatives. I'm doing everything I can to do my part and raise my voice. And I'm asking you to be brave and uphold the values that we're talking about. If we're going to honor brave World War II heroes and we're going to talk about the values that our country is founded on, we have to actually uphold those now and today and when it actually matters. Thanks. I'm going to give opportunity anyone else who wish to speak. Okay, then we will move on to the consent calendar. I got this right.

Do any members of council wish to pull any items from the consent calendar? Councilwoman Colani. 8B, please.

8B as in Baker. Okay. Anyone else? If not, let's see. I'm going to ask the city clerk, may we have number and title for item 8M, please.

Yes, your honor. This is resolution number 2026-09, a resolution of city council of the city of Torrance, California, adopting new recycled water rate structure for customers in the Torrance Municipal Water Service Area. I'll take a motion to approve all items on the consent calendar with the exception of 8B. Motion to approve all items on the consent calendar with the exception of 8B and adopt resolution 2026-09. Second

start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. Your honor, auto city manager just quoted correct in the record. The item that was just uh approved was removed for reconsideration in two weeks. Okay. My So my my error 8 L Oh, 8 L. Okay. So I what I should Let's Let's try to do this redo. Well, let's um it was included in my script. So I believe understand we can just do a motion for reconsideration on the last vote and then adopt it with leaving 8B and 8 L out.

I make a motion for reconsideration. Second [snorts] start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. Actually, I thought since it was removed from the agenda, it's we probably didn't have to do that last step. Just just just me though. Okay. So, we have let's take a motion to adopt all items on the consent calendar with exception of 8 L and 8 M.

No, 8B. Oh, 8B. Now, now you really got me. [laughter] Okay. Motion to adopt all the items on the consent calendar with the exception of 8B and 8 L. Um and adopting 2026-09. Second. Start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. Okay. Item 8B. I believe item 8B is really a second reading of an ordinance we previous adopted. Correct.

Correct. Yeah. I just wanted to mention that I've had some outreach from um residents who um have been recently experiencing ebikes in large numbers at the parks and they asked if we were going to place any signage at the parks that reminded people that it is not allowed at the parks. Council Adam, city manager, above and beyond signage, we also plan to do a massive public education campaign utilizing all social media outlets to share the information. And I believe we'll also be placing signs at the parks. Thank you.

Okay, perfect. Thank you. That was that was all and thank you again for all the work on this. And with that, I'll make a motion to approve 8B. Second. Do we need a city clerk to do a read us a number and title first? Yes. And just to clarify the motion, it would be to adopt. Thank you. Thank you. Motion to adopt ordinance number 3963. Second.

Thank you. Uh this is ordinance number 3963, an ordinance of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, amending chapter 2 of division 6 by amending sections 62.1, 62.1.2, 2 62.1.3 62.1.4 62.1.8 Repilling sections 62.1.9 62.110 62.11 62.12 62.13 62.2.1 62.2.2 62.2.3 62.2.4 62.2.5 62.2.6 6 62.2.8 62.2.9 62.2.10 62.2.11 62.212 and adding sections 62.114 62.115 62.116 of the Torrance Municipal Code regulating bicycle use in the city of Torrance and amending chapter 9 of division 4 by amending section 49.2.7 2.7 to the Torrance Municipal Code regulating the use of parks. Start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. Thank you. Okay, we're making some progress here. Now is a time and place for a public hearing on agenda item 9A. This is a recommendation of the community development director that the city council conduct a public hearing and adopt a resolution finding that Torrance Dlama project is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to section 211080.66 66 of the California Public Resources Code AB130 and adopt additional

conditions of approval for the 272 unit residential condominium development on property located in the PD zone at 2325 Cshaw Boulevard here referred to as the Dam Torrance Dammo project. I would like to make a motion to continue this hearing to the meeting date of February 24th, 2026 since it is being continued to a date certain this matter will not be readvertised. Do I have a second?

I'll second. Start voting please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously. We're moving so fast. We're trying to get our paper in order right now. Moving on to administrative matters. Item 10A from the city manager. Is there a staff presentation?

Good evening, honorable mayor and members of the city council. Jin Chun, public engagement manager, city manager's office. Item 10A is a recommendation of the city manager that city council receive and file the concessional report torrent passport and provide direction on the implementation of the Torrance passport program. Next slide, please. One more after. Thank you. Um, on September 23rd of 2025, Council Member Matuchi requested staff to explore the feasibility of an international cultural and food event that would celebrate Torrance's diversity, support local restaurants, and generate economic activity. Through this review, staff identified several limitations. uh limited weekend availability at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center due to existing reservations and commitments through fiscal year 2025 2026. Initial feedback from restaurants indicated limited interest in off-site participation primarily due to staffing challenges, added costs, and food quality concerns. A weekn night only event could also significantly limit public participation. Next slide, please. Uh given these constraints, staff developed an alternative concept that preserves council members in original intent while reducing barriers for businesses and expanding public access. The concept of the Torrance Passport would provide a rich culinary and cultural experience that allows participants to engage at their own pace across the city. Next slide, please. The framework of the Torrance Passport shifts from a single event to a distributed citywide experience. Participants are encouraged to explore restaurants, city facilities, and city hosted events throughout the month. Um, the program is also intentionally designed to be a low barrier for businesses, allowing restaurants to participate without incurring any additional cost or work. Next slide, please. Uh, the program will launch in alignment with a popular cultural event

and continue through the month with schedule cultural touch points across the city. Um, it's designed to be resident and visi visitor centered, encouraging flexible participation. Digital and social media engagement will also play a key role with user generated content, helping to amplify the program's reach and further showcase Torrance as a destination. Next slide, please. The proposed timeline runs from March 26 through April 26, intentionally leveraging existing city community events, including the Cherry Blossom Festival on March 29th. a torren civic corral performance on April 10th, the Bunkasai Festival on April 18th and 19th. In addition, staff is exploring the potential inclusion of a curated list of international authors at the Torrance Libraries, as well as encouraging visits to the Torrance Art Museum to experience its spring exhibit. Next slide, please. Participants will be able to download printer friendly versions of the Torrance passport if they want to print it from home or they can stop by the California Welcome Center at the Delmo Fashion Center to pick up already printed ones. We can also identify city facilities where Torrance passports can be picked up. Participants will be encouraged to complete at least 10 visits to a local event or restaurant to receive an entry into a drawing. Now, each visit will be selfattested and participants will be encouraged to post a photo using the hashtag Torrance Passport, allowing staff to collect and share campaign highlights. Next slide, please. Uh, this this effort is a collaborative initiative as we're working together with various city departments. Uh, we've invited various organizations and businesses to also collaborate with us including Discover Torrance, the California Welcome Center, local restaurants, and the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce. Next slide, please. As you can see in this next slide, this is just a sample of a proposed passport format, including a simple printable version as well as a multi-page booklet that will be available at various

locations to pick up. Participants may complete as many passport books as they'd like over the course of the four weeks as each completed passport qualifies them for an additional entry into the drawing. Next slide, please. The Torrance passport concept aims to increase foot traffic to local businesses, support local restaurants, boost tourism, and foster civic pride while providing a fun and engaging way to explore our city. Next slide, please. With more than 400 registered food establishments in the city of Torrance, of which nearly 200 offer international cuisine, this program has a strong potential to generate meaningful participation, especially when amplified through a targeted digital media campaign. Next slide, please. Staff requests that city council accept and file the Torrance passport conceptual report and provide direction on the implementation of the proposed program. Staff is available for questions. [snorts]

Thank you. City clerk, has anyone signed up to speak on this item? No, your honor. All right, then let's go to the public. Any members of the public wish to speak on this item, please step up to the microphone. You have two minutes per speaker.

[clears throat]

David Cartonus, resident of North Torrance. Uh, I just want to say this is a fantastic idea. I think it's really, really great. It's going to I think it could really bring some great business to some of our our local restaurants, uh, and arts organizations. Um, I think staff did a great job. I do hope that either this went to the Cultural Arts Commission or the Cultural Arts Commission will have an opportunity to weigh in. I know we've been talking a lot about commissions and what they do and what their value is. I think this is a fantastic thing for them to talk about. Um, also uh I would hope that you guys would approach the uh Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation. I'm the immediate past president of that organization and I know it's something that we would be very excited to work with the city of Torrance on and ways to to bring more cultural experiences to our residents. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak on this item? Okay, I don't see any. So, I'm going to bring this to the council. Councilman Matuchi, thank you, Mayor. I just want to say thank you to staff and of course, Jen. You've been uh wonderful uh coming up with these um um I guess more we'll call it more doable version of what I had intended in the first. Um I I really do think I really do think uh that the participation will deter will be determined mainly on how we promote it. Uh and also letting the restaurants know what we're doing so that people don't walk in with a passport and and people have no clue what what this is, you know. So I think uh being able to contact uh our our uh food establishments. Um, so I don't know how we're going to do that, whether it's through a letter, a postcard, in person, whatever we decide to do. But, um, uh, the time frame, I don't know. Was it March I forget what I'm sorry?

March March 26. Yeah, March 26th through April 26th. Uh, I don't know if we if we are going to do it in that time frame. I don't know if we have enough time to bounce back and forth between uh, commissions. Um, so I don't know. We'll see what the direction is tonight. But, uh, since it's not really going to be much of a financial impact on the city other than maybe some time from staff to contact or maybe some some letters or I don't know, however we decide to contact and promote it. Uh, social media. Uh, August, one question. Do you have to be a Torrance resident or can anybody participate?

Well, anybody can participate. I think the idea is to draw visitors here, not just local. I mean, we want our local residents to participate, but absolutely invite outside residents as well. Okay. So, we're going to call it the world's biggest uh international food fest because it goes one month of festivities. Councilman, recently I shared a video about top 13 Japanese American restaurants and had 40,000 views. So we are definitely the ramen capital very mix of fine Mexican dining to Pacific Asian. I mean there's a whole sphere. So I I imagine we will be able to leverage those connections and also we can work with all of our commissions to get the word out.

We tend to fight less over good food and uh as just looking at me you can see that I enjoy good food. But you you got to recruit the six people from Roondo Beach. That's right. They're gonna have to come to Torrance and eat. Come to Torrance and eat. Um, yeah. So, I think getting the word out is going to be a key element to a successful program, letting the uh businesses know what their involvement is, which is really just selling food and uh are we going to have like little stickers that they put on or just uh they just sign it saying that they're

Well, the idea to make it low barrier for businesses so that they don't are not required to do anything during this um program. The passport is self attested. So I would write um March 26 I went to Gaitanos and then I would take a selfie or a picture of the food with the hashtag torren passport and then we're able to aggregate all the photos that are included with the hashtag torren passport and then we can share the campaign. We can share people's post on our uh social media site. Oh, that's perfect. Yeah. All right. Well, I really like the idea and uh the sooner we get working on it, the better. That that's my thought. All right. Thank you guys. Thank you. Thank you Councilman Shay.

Thank you and thank you for uh exploring this wonderful idea and I think u it will be very wellreceived. We are very diverse community. My only one concern is the passport. We have my Torren CA app. We should use that app rather than printing those passports. use that technology because I think sometimes people going to lose that passport. So you should embed embed [clears throat] that and to have and one way to promote my to CA app and use that le leverage that and increase that u passport instead of going paper.

So do I have to buy my grandson a uh a smartphone? We did have a conversation. You don't have it yet. We did have a conversation uh with the CIT department and with our current version of the app, we wouldn't be able to get it there by our um campaign time period. In the next iteration of our app, uh that could be something that we could add in, but for the sake of this season, uh we would not be able to get it there in time. It it it's not capable the way that it's set up currently, but that is the the idea for the next iteration of the update. That surprised me because the technology the way we move in so quickly we we probably cannot have an icon but possibly to have a passport a separate app rather than carrying a paper.

Councilman, it's something we can explore just the timeline between now and March. Uh there there's a whole backbone to the app and we don't want to overpromise but we'll look into it. But it's something as Miss Chan shared we can definitely build into our future updates and our website as well. Great. Thank you. Thank you, sir. And I like the idea run through Torren's Cultural Theater and Culture Arts Commission. I think it's a good idea as well. All right. Thank you.

Right, Councilwoman Lewis. Um, just to piggyback off of uh, Council Member Shakes, how about instead of an app, we partner with our restaurants to come up with a unique QR code um, that can be part of um, you can put it on a map. I think downtown Torrance has a wonderful downtown Torrance restaurant map. Um, perhaps we can do a QR code. Uh maybe the restaurants might consider, you know, if you scan the QR code and do a picture, you get 5% off your bill or um something something to incentivize them to do it. And if um you have, let's just say, 20 restaurants that sign up to be part of the passport program. If you visit all 20 of them um and take picture, you'll get something at the end of it. Something that will incentivize people to go to all of the restaurants who join the city to do that QR code. And it kind of goes back to what council member Shake is saying. Um it's not appe. It's just simply a QR code where you can still generate the number of people who came in off of that.

We will definitely explore all digital options before we uh move forward. All right. Anyone anyone else want to cook some more sausages? Okay. No, great idea. You know, I it was you know, sometimes uh you know, I'm sure you guys would come up with something. I think uh from one suggestion came up with this. So, I I think uh it's going to be fun. Yeah, definitely. You our Roondo Beach neighbors, you know, invite your Manhattan Beach or Mosao Beach neighbors as well when we do this. Uh we take customers from everywhere. All right. So, looks like uh I need a a motion to receive and file and uh there you go.

Thank you. Uh thank you, mayor. Yeah, we I'd like to move that we accept and file the uh conceptual report of the international program and uh also look into the uh digital uh aspect of it and uh try to keep all avenues open. um because of the time crunch and the calendar that's presented, I would suggest that we just move forward with uh with um this and then regroup after the April 26th and uh at that point maybe we can give a recap through the uh cult uh the uh commission. Um, but after after we try this out as a we'll call it a

pilot pilot project. A pilot project. Yeah. Um, all right. So, that's my motion. All right. I'll second that. Start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously.

All right. So, we're going to be food hall center now. Right. We're all going to gain some weight soon. Let's see. Item 10B from the finance director. Is there a staff presentation? Good evening and happy new year, mayor and members of the city council. Sheila Passan with the finance department here to present item 10B, a recommendation of the finance director that city council 1 adopt a resolution of intention to establish community facilities district or CFD number 2026-01 for public services and the future annexation area. Two, direct staff to record a boundary map uh with the county by January 28th. And lastly, set a public hearing date of February 24th, 2026 to consider formation of the CFD and call for a special election. By way of background, the city continues to experience strong development interest. While development impact fees are an important tool, they are limited to one-time capital improvements and cannot be used for ongoing municipal services such as police, fire, um, maintenance, and community services. As a result, without an additional funding mechanism, new development can place long-term service demands on the general fund. The purpose of a CFD is to ensure fiscal neutrality by requiring new development to contribute its fair share toward the ongoing cost of municipal services. The CFD accomplishes this through an annual special tax that is proportionate to land use intensity and is offset by the estimated revenues generated by the type of project. This structure provides a sustainable, predictable funding source for ongoing services as the city continues to grow. Council has previously taken several actions to establish the framework for this program. In January of 2024, council directed staff to proceed with a

formation of a citywide CFD. In July 2024, the planning commission reviewed and recommended approval of the required municipal code amendments. And in September of that same year, the city council adopted ordinance number 3937 and resolution number 24-25 establishing the policies and procedures for CFD formation under the Meeroos Act. Those actions allowed new projects to annex into the CFD by landowner consent as a condition of development approval. Tonight's action represents the first project specific annexation under that framework. The project is the Vista Homes residential development consisting of 449 residential units located at 3610 Torrance Boulevard. As a condition of approval, the project applicant has agreed to annex into the citywide CFD prior to the issuance of building permits. If city council approves the recommended actions and the applicant proceeds through the remaining steps, the project is estimated to generate approximately 114,736 in annual CFD revenue, which will increase annually by CPI. These funds will be used to offset any incremental costs of providing public safety, maintenance, and other municipal services associated with additional development without placing additional burden on existing residents or the general fund. Following adoption of the resolution of attention tonight, the next steps include recording a boundary map with the county and holding a public hearing and special election on February 24th. Because this annex annexation is by unanimous landowner consent, the election would be conducted only with the landowner of 3610 Torrance Boulevard during a regularly scheduled council meeting. Final formation actions, including the ordinance levying that special tax, would then return to council for the second reading. With that, staff recommends that city council adopt the resolution of intention,

direct staff to record the boundary map, and set the public hearing for February 24th, 2026. That concludes my presentation and I'm happy to answer any questions. We're also joined by Cuda Gu with DTA and Bill Marta Corena with Ratan and Tucker should we require their expertise. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Sheila. Valentino say happy new year. Happy new year. A little rusty.

All right. Anyone from the public wish to speak on this item? Please step up to the microphone. You get two minutes per speaker. I don't see any. Let's bring up the city uh the council here. Any members of council have questions, comments? Councilman Shay,

thank you. Uh thank you Sheila for the presentation and happy new year to you as well. Uh the amount that we are going to generate through this CFD will that be restricted to a certain number of uh categories? Um the amount would only be restricted by the appropriation limit that is set for this particular CFD which will be set during the February 24th hearing and the landowner also has to vote themselves and agree to that amount as well. Okay. But it would be restricted to just for these. Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood your usage. Yes,

correct. So the revenues that come in related to the CFD will be accounted for in a separate fund and have a separate accounting and only new costs associated with additional new development would be paid for with that. So um the way it's structured is that we can't supplant any costs. We have to only use it for new costs.

Do we have any projection how much we will generate in next fiscal year? Um, with this one project, it's that 114,000, but it really depends on how many projects we'll annex in before they get their permits. The report that was prepared by DTA had an annual projection of just under 500K. However, again, the their estimate was based on the projects that were approved at that time. So, it can be, you know, I actually anticipate it may exceed that 400k in the 10-year period because we do anticipate some some larger projects, but again, I have no crystal ball.

That seems pretty low. Okay. Thank you, Councilman Matuchi. Thank you. Um, so this is in addition to like the impact fees, correct? The impact fees are the one time and these would be the annual um added to their property tax bill. Property tax bill. Okay. And um these are only for rental units, not like if you were to build a condominium complex. It would apply to condominiums and apartments. So anything considered multif family. Anything comp. Correct. So no matter how you slice it, at the end of the day, it's going to be either the tenant or the homeowner is going to pay this. Mhm.

Um yeah, I mean there's already a lot of high cost. Uh it's just going to even though it might be a small amount, but they all add up at the end of the year, you know. Um I mean I understand why we do it or requesting it. So all right, let's see if anybody else has anything to say. Thank you,

Councilman Kaji. [clears throat] Thank you, your honor. Uh thanks for the presentation. So uh the concept would be as the city has uh additional development uh which creates more density, more traffic, more impacts on our infrastructure. This gives us an ability to recover those costs by way of this uh the comm community facilities district. So it's not being drawn out of the general fund. Instead, they're paying in on an annual basis. and we can accommodate for that additional growth. Correct. Okay. Thank you, Councilman Shay.

Uh thank you. Just to the followup, uh is that a possibility we could uh lobby that to our state to help us with those funds? Not that I am aware of. No. Okay. So, it has to go through property tax. Correct. because this is intended for um the annual ongoing costs for maintenance and police and fire protection and such. Will that amount be 100% towards our fund or it's not like going to the property tax and we get a little chunk of the property tax? No, the 114,000 will all come to us. Okay. We're not sharing it.

Okay. Thank you. Good. Thanks for that clarification. Okay. Um, let's see. City clerk, may I have number and title, please? Okay. Yes, your honor. This is resolution number 2026-10, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, declaring its intention to establish City of Torrance Community Facilities District number 2026-01, public services and future annexation areas, and to authorize the levy of special taxes therein. Before before we make a motion, may I say Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead.

Yeah. Thank Thank you, mayor. Uh is there a possibility we can table this and and definitely just you know affordability has become such a big issue and um I know this is just on one particular project but this will I imagine affect affect uh every new project that we're doing right? It's not just one particular project. I mean any from here on out it's for all new projects that would be eligible to annex in but it does exempt affordable units does exempt affordable units.

Okay. But I mean in general I mean if you have a twoerson household that works you're probably not going to be eligible for low-income housing but at the same time things cost a lot of money. I mean, I my my point is, you know, if we can do without this temporarily, postpone it a year out, see how the economy is doing. Um, I just I just think that we just tack the crap out of tax the crap out of people, you know, over and over and over again. And this just another layer. And you know we we calcul we make calculations from a a net cost you know so it's going to cost us such and such amount of money to uh for police and fire and I get that but there's other taxes that also cover those additional costs and also there's new taxes that get generated from those 200 400 300 units that are being built uh you know through pro new property tax uh assessments are going to go up tremendously. Uh so a property that's probably, you know, $5 million assessment is going to go up to a $und00 million assessment. We have to take those things into consideration. Uh same thing with um the retail benefit. You know, every car now the these people every car that they buy uh the tax base is going to stay in Torrance. Uh everything they purchase within the city is going to stay here in Torrance. So there is a net benefit to having uh all these people move in. Uh so but I do understand the the cost. I just I I don't know. I just don't think we're at the right point in time to add more cost to building uh a property and operating it, you know. So I'm going to be voting no just because I think affordability is through the roof and I don't think people need even just that $1,000 a year. may not sound like much, but for somebody that's barely making it, it's a lot, you know. So, it may not be a

thousand, could be $500 a year, but still more money out of pocket.

Mayor, council, if I may interject, Ian Dailyaly, finance director, one comment I wanted to make, uh, with respect to the remarks that were just made. Um, the rates that are included in this control for that additional revenue that will be come in by way of things like property tax. So, this is a very low rate. um that is fiscal neutral. So we look at the additional costs that come online to support and provide those services. We look at the new revenue that we estimate to come online through the natural turnover of that property and things of that nature and the UUT that would be generated. Um it's the net difference of that that is the basis for this rate. So it is controlled for those additional revenues that come in. I just wanted to clarify that.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean I never hopefully I never insinuated that we're here to make money, right? We're here to cover cost and I get that. I get that. I just uh I think it's a rough period of time that we're going through and you know these properties [clears throat] are extremely expensive to begin with. I mean if you look at some of the rents of these new places, I don't know how anybody can afford them. So God bless them that they're making enough money, but the common person just can't afford this. So So just even if we add $500 a year to their rent is it's a lot. It's a lot. I I feel it's a lot. But anyways, thank you,

honorable mayor, [clears throat] council members. Michelle RmIrez, uh, community development director. I also like to add that, uh, when any project comes to the community development department. Staff actually sits down with them and goes over the community facilities district so that they're well aware of it. It is included as part of their conditional use permit and that they that they um that goes in front of the planning commission and if it was appealed to the city council. So it is something that they are calculating already in their development cost as they're as they are um as they are proceeding with all of their performance. Uh so they're well aware of it. It's included in their performance. And what we're finding is especially like in this case right here um we we actually asked them to come tonight and they and they were like no we've already included this in our perform. We want to pay it. We're good. Let's just move forward. So this is a case where especially in this development here where they're they're okay with it.

I no I understand but it's a pass through cost. That's why they're okay with it. There's not coming out of their pocket. They just add it to the rent and call it a day. I mean well they have to include in their perform and then they have to make sure the performance is set so that they can get those rents that like you're saying if it's if them if they're setting something too high and it's not being leased they're going to be losing money. So they're calculating all of that in there to ensure that they are going to get the rents that they know that can be that the the community can hold hold. Yeah. Thank you, Councilman Shake.

Uh thank you. Just one more to that point. Um will this be applicable to all across the board for residential for single family? This is only for limited developments, right? You have to have fi Well, for residential developments, you have to have five or more units. There you go. So, it's not So, if it's a single family home, it's not going to apply to them. Correct. And it also doesn't apply to uh any affordability. So, if we had a se if we had an complete affordability complex come through, they would not uh this would not apply to them.

Thank you for clarifying. So, for five unit uh complex, how much will be roughly CFT charges? Just roughly. I can't do this in my head, but $284 times five, right? It's like 30. It's very minimal. Very minimal. It's not much, right? Okay. All right. Thank you. Just want to clarify. Thanks. All right. Okay. At this moment, city clerk, may I have number and title, please? Yeah. Yes, your honor. 26-10.

Again, it's resolution number 2026-10. Resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, declaring its intention to establish city of Torrance Community Facilities District number 2026-01 public services and future annexation areas and to authorize the levy of special taxes therein. Make a motion to adopt resolution 2026-10. [snorts] Mayor, council, if I could jump in. It's 2026-01. Oh, [clears throat] yeah. 01. Right, Rebecca? 01, I believe. I just want to make sure the right number is referenced.

All right. Um, I'll modify that. Adopt resolution 2026-01. Second. Sorry, I just want to check our resolution log 01 is the CFD number which may differ from the resolution number. 202601 was a earlier resolution for a retirement. Yes, this is resolution number 2026-10. Right. It's the district number that's 2026-01.

Right. I wish to modify my motion back. Adopt resolution 2026-10. Second with modifications. Start voting please. Your honor, that motion carries with council member Matuchi voting no. Thank you. All right. Item 10 C from the city clerk. Is there a staff presentation?

Good evening, mayor and members of the city council. Crystal Camaroa, city clerk's department. Uh item 10 C is uh requesting adoption of three resolutions required to call the city's general municipal election on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026. The election will include the offices of mayor, city council districts 1, 3, and five, city clerk and city treasurer, each for a 4-year term in accordance with the city charter and California elections code. Uh the first resolution formally calls the election. The second request consolidation with the LA County statewide direct primary election allowing the county to administer the election. And the last establish, excuse me, establishes candidate statement regulations maintaining the 200word limit consistent with prior council policy and requiring candidates to pay printing costs. The estimated cost of the election is $754,19.19 and funding is available in the city clerk's fisc year 2526 general fund budget. The candidate nomination period will open February 17, 2026 and close March 5th, 2026 with a statutory extension if an incumbent does not file. It is a recommendation of the city clerk that city council adopt these three resolutions to ensure the city remains in full compliance with the California elections code and city charter. City clerk and I are uh happy to answer any questions. That concludes my presentation.

Thank you. City clerk, anyone sign up to speak on this item? No, your honor. Does anyone want to speak on this item from the public? Please step up to the microphone. You have two minutes per speaker.

Hi, good evening, council. I'm Ari Sharma, resident of downtown Torrance. Um, I'm excited for the upcoming elections. Yay for the democratic process while it still exists. Um, I'm also up here just urging that hopefully um a future council considers moving the election so that it corresponds with the November date so that we can increase turnout for our citywide elections. If my recollection on data crunching is accurate, the last time we held a mayoral election, four years ago, we only had like 23% voter turnout, which is abysmally low, um, in my opinion. So, just holding this conversation, hopefully bring it up at a future council meeting to move the election date to correspond with the a November election, which is the date that most residents in the city remember um and associate with elections. So, that's all. Thank you.

Anyone else from the public wish to speak on this item? I don't see any any members of the council have comments or questions on this item. I think Councilman Gerson's ready to go forward. If not, city clerk may have number and title, please.

Yes, your honor. The first is resolution number 2026-06, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, calling for the holding of a general municipal election to be held on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026 for the election of certain officers as required by the provisions of the charter. The second is resolution number 2026-07. A resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, requesting the board of supervisors of the county of Los Angeles to consolidate a general municipal election to be held on June 2nd, 2026 with the statewide primary election to be held on the date pursuant to government code 10403 of sorry, not government code, elections code 1043. And last, resolution number 2026-08, a resolution of the city council of the city of Torrance, California, adopting regulations for candidates for elective office pertaining to candidate statements submitted to the voters at an election to be held on Tuesday, June 2nd.

All right, go ahead, Councilman Gerson. Since there are only two people up here who aren't for some election, um it's my pleasure to uh move that we adopt resolutions 2026-06, 2026-07, and 2026-08. I second. Start voting, please. Your honor, that motion carried unanimously.

Thank you. There are no agency agendas. So just so the public is aware, we're going to we will be going back to close session. So since when we come back from close session, we'll be adjourning the meeting. So I'm going to move into oral communications number two right now. Um this portion of the meeting is reserved for comments on items not on the agenda. Under the Ralph and Brown Act, the city council cannot act on items raised during public comment, but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed, request clarification, or refer the item to staff. Speakers under orals are limited to either oral communications number one or oral communications number two, and no longer than two minutes per speaker. Time starts when you step up to the microphone. If presenting handout material to the council, please provide 11 copies of the city clerk before speaking. Handouts will be distributed while you speak. Do we have any members of the audience or the public who did not speak during oral communications number one that wish to speak during oral communic? You have two minutes per person. I don't see any. So, I'm going to do the council orals the order that I see here. Councilman Matuchi,

I have nothing tonight. Thank you. Okay. Councilman Shay, nothing. Thanks. Councilman Gerson, no comments. Councilman Kaji.

Okay, I'll break the ice. Uh today is the is Korean-American Day in California, marking the 123rd year of immigration to the United States. So happy Korean-American Day to our Korean-American friends here in the city of Torrance. Um and then also for the Torrance Sister City Association, they wanted to announce a opportunity to serve for one year as a high school English teacher in our sister city of Kashiwa, Japan. It's a one minimum one-year contract running from August 1st, 2026 to July 31st, 2027. You will be paid uh one-way airfare, Los Angeles to Japan. You're covered under National Health in Japan, subsidized housing, transportation, and paid Japanese holidays and personal days. If you have questions, please check their website at www. toranciscity.org. Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Councilwoman Khalani. Thank you, Mayor. Did you say one way to Japan? It says one way. Oh, okay. I challenge you. You might find your future second half. That that might be why so many of them stay.

Maybe. Anyway, I just want to wish everyone a wonderful new year. Um, the Torrance Theater Company asked me to let you know that they will be presenting The Cottage, a comedy with twists and turns. Seats are still available. Um, you can check for seating at www. Torrance theater company.com for availability and it is in our amazing uh worldrenown community theater with uplose and personal seating at 1316 Cababrio Avenue in downtown Torrance. Have a wonderful evening and good night. Thank you, Councilwoman Lewis. I have nothing. Thank you.

All right. And I think this past weekend we had a couple events, right, Councilman Kaji? I think Saturday we had the Torrent Sisters City Association alumni reunion. I think I saw you, Councilman Gerson, and I think I saw Councilman Shake there. That was a good time. I think the only thing we probably flopped on, some of us still don't know how to do the dance, but I think that's okay. And then yesterday I was invited to uh not yesterday last Sunday the second annual Luda New Year celebration uh hosted by the South Chinese American Association. So first year last year it was just inside the uh Armstrong Theater and they were impacted by the fires from Palisades and Eaton because some performers could not show up or make it. I think this year they did a whole festival uh daytime at the uh cultural arts center. It was well attended, lots of good shows and hopefully uh they will come back another year. And this is I believe you follow Luna calendar. This is the year of the fire horse. So you can Google that and see what that means. Uh, city council is going to go to close session right now for this is our first meeting of the 2026 uh calendar year. Uh, for those who came in later who did not uh realize uh uh public comments uh for oral communications number one, number two are now two minutes uh per speaker and admin matters as well. So, at this moment, I want to say good night to those in the audience who came. Thank you for your students. Uh, tell your teachers that you were fully attentive tonight. And we're going to go back to close session. Thank you.

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