City Council - Regular Meeting

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Good evening, I will call the City Council meeting to order. It's 5.03 p.m. City Clerk, May I have a roll call, please?

Yes, Your Honor. Council Member Gerson.

Present.

Council Member Kaji. Present. Council Member Kalani. Present. Council Member Lewis. Present. Council Member Micucci.

Here.

Council Member Shaik.

Present.

Mayor Chen.

Present. The council will now recess to close session to confer with the city manager and city attorney on agenda matters listed under 13A, conference with legal counsel, existing litigation, 13B, real property, conference with real property negotiator, and 13C, conference with labor negotiator. A closed session on these matters is authorized by California Government Code, sections 54956.91, 54956.8 and 54957.6 will return after closed session. Thank you.

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Thank you. Good evening. I will reconvene the city council meeting. It's 6.51 p.m. I want to welcome everyone joining us in the council chamber as well as those watching us remotely. We have been in closed session. City manager, do we have any actions to report out? Good evening, your honor. Nothing to report. Thank you. Moving on to item two, flag salute and invocation. We honor those who make it possible for us to be here today. If there's anyone here in the audience who is on active duty or a military veteran, please stand or raise your hand so that we may recognize you. Please remain standing and all arise. And Councilwoman Kalani will lead us in the flight salute and Councilwoman Lewis in the invocation.

Please join me as we pay tribute to our flag and our country.

Dear Laura, tonight we give thanks for the opportunity to serve our community with integrity, wisdom, and compassion. We ask for guidance as we make decisions that impact the lives of our residents, businesses, families, and future generations. Help us to listen respectfully, lead thoughtfully, and remember that public service is ultimately about people, not politics. Grant us the patience during disagreement, clarity during difficult decisions, and unity in our shared commitment to the city of Torrance. We also want to extend gratitude to our city staff, public safety personnel, volunteers, and all of those who work every day to strengthen our community. May this meeting be productive, respectful, and focused on the greater good. In your name, amen.

All right, thank you. Moving on to item three, announcements of withdrawn, deferred, and or supplemental items.

Thank you, Your Honor. Aramach Parian, City Manager. We have supplemental materials for item 8J from City Manager to determine California Environmental Quality Act CEQA exemption adopt resolution of intent to consider petroleum products pipeline franchise agreement from Torrance Basin Pipeline Company, LLC, and set date for public hearing. Thank you, Your Honor.

All right. Thank you. Item 4, I will take a motion to waive further reading of resolution to ordinances after number and title.

Motion to wait for the readings.

Second.

Start voting, please. Your Honor, that motion carried unanimously.

Thank you. Moving on to Item 5, Council Committee Meetings and Staff Announcements. I will start off with a couple. In preparation of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Alert South Bay regional emergency alert and notification platform will conduct a live wireless emergency alert, WEA, on Wednesday, June 10. at 1 p.m. Pacific time. While Torrance Alerts, the city's primary mass notification system, would activate in the event of an emergency in Torrance, if a regional disaster or emergency were to occur in neighboring communities, Alert South Bay will activate Alert South Bay, serves as an integrated cross-jurisdictional public alert and warning notification system for all 15 South Bay cities. The Wireless Emergency Alert System, or WIA, is an essential part of our emergency preparedness, enabling authorized agencies to disseminate crucial information about dangerous weather to missing children or other critical situations. Authorized public safety officials send WIA alerts through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA's, integrated public alert and warning systems. I think we like acronyms tonight, IPAWS, to participating wireless carriers, which then push the alerts to compatible mobile devices in affected areas. So just remember, June 10th will be some testing. The purpose of the test is part of ongoing regional preparedness and alert and warning coordination efforts to ensure the continued effectiveness of WEA when warning the public about emergencies ahead of the World Cup. Councilman Shaikh, you have the next one?

Yes, thank you. I ask that we adjourn tonight's meeting in honor of Koyoko Oda's extraordinary life and contributions to our community. Koyoko Oda was a respected Japanese American educator, community leader, and historic preservation advocate. whose lifelong work helped preserve the stories and experiences of Japanese Americans during World War II. Born in the Tule Lake incarceration camp during World War II, she dedicated her life to education, community service, and historical remembrance. Koyoko served as both a teacher and principal in the LA Unified School District and remained deeply involved with the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center throughout her life. Among her most meaningful accomplishments was translating and publishing her father Tetsuo Inoue's diary written while he was in prison in the Tule Lake Stockade. Published as the Tule Lake Stockade Diary, the work documents the harsh camp conditions and civil rights violations experienced by Japanese Americans during the war, ensuring those important stories would not be forgotten. Koyoko left a lasting impact across the Japanese American community through her leadership and advocacy with numerous organizations. She played a key role in preserving the history of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station, a Department of Justice holding center during World War II and was a founding member of Torrance's World War II camp wall alongside community leaders, including the late Kanji Sahara and Nancy Ayada. In recognition of her decade of cultural, educational, and historical contributions, Koyoko Oda was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun. Gold and silver raised by the government of Japan in 2020, Our legacy of service, preservation, and community leadership will continue to inspire future generations. Thank you.

I think you have the next one too.

Thank you. On May 14, 2026, the City Council Strategic Plan Committee held a meeting to receive an update from city staff on several items of business. The strategic plan includes 11 strategic priorities, 57 goals, and 249 subgoals. 95 subgoals are strategic while 154 are operational. during the period of October 1, 2025, and March 30, 2026. Five subgoals were accomplished, including two strategic and three operational. The number of items in the achieved category increased from 209 to 214, representing an 86% completion rate of the total 249 subgoals. The remaining 35 sub-goals remain on track. The status of all goals are publicly available on torrentca.gov under the Council Strategic Plan Committee webpage. Additionally, the committee received the findings of strategic plan midpoint review, which included findings from statistically valid resident and business surveys and an independent review of the city's plan implementation and plan alignment with community direction. FM3 opinion research survey findings conclude that Torrance remains a safe, clean, and enjoyable place to live and do business, but continue to emphasize on addressing growing community concerns in the areas of homelessness, crime prevention, expanding economic development, and community engagement awareness are needed, as well as balancing development and housing cost pressures. Place works plan assessment concluded that all 249 sub goals have been advanced by city departments and 99.2% of the plan sub goals remain viable. The council committee also received several members of the citizens committee that worked tirelessly to develop the plan. They presented to the city council in 2021. They were thanked. and recognized for their contributions during the meeting. Thank you.

Just want to make sure you're finished.

Yes, I am.

Okay. All right, Councilwoman Lewis.

Thank you. Recently, the 152nd name was added to the Torrance Veterans Memorial Wall. Jack C. Hormel was born on February 9th 1922 in Houston, Texas. His family later moved to Torrance where they were residing on Arlington Avenue at the time of the 1930 U.S. Census. By 1940, he was living at 1651 West 218th Street in the area known now as the Shoestring Strip adjacent to Torrance in Los Angeles. His father, Charles Hurmel, worked as a machinist at the National Supply Company in Torrance. Jack Hormel graduated from Torrance High School in the summer of 1941 alongside his sister, Mina. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in December 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Service number 19067053. Private Hormel was stationed at an Army Air Base near Crystal Lake, Florida. On March 21, 1943, he died in a drowning incident while on active duty. He is officially listed as DNB in World War II Army Casualty Records for the Los Angeles County National Archives. This designation includes service members who died in the line of duty from causes such as illnesses or accidents outside of combat. He was laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. In research leading to the identification of this previously unrecognized service members was conducted by our very own director of public works, Craig Belazarian, former council member Kurt Wiedemann, and Dennis Piotrowski of the Torrance Historical Society and assisted in verifying that Jack Hormel should be added to the Torrance Veterans Memorial Wall, correcting a historical omission. The Torrance Historical Society appreciates and thanks the City of Torrance for acknowledging and recognizing Jack Hormel's service and the sacrifice and adding his name to the Veterans Memorial Wall. His name, along with 151 other Torrance heroes, will be read at the Names on the Wall Remembrance on Memorial Day, 2 p.m. at the Torrance Veterans Memorial. Thank you. All right.

Thank you very much. And it's interesting that our Public Works Director was the one that found the name in today. is my understanding, is his final day as a public works director attending the city council meeting as Craig is retiring from the city of Torrance at the end of this month, I believe. So Craig, thank you for your many years of service. So that's a hint of what he might be doing post-retirement. I have one more here. Kick it in downtown Torrance announcement. Goal. Big things are coming to downtown Torrance this summer. We are teaming up with Metro and the Downtown Torrance Association to bring the beautiful game right to our streets. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 13th and Saturday, July 11th. We are hosting two massive days of soccer watch parties and youth clinics right in the heart of our city. The game plan. Here's what you can look forward to. Sartori Street and El Prado Avenue will transform into a vibrant soccer fan zone, packed with food, community booths, public art, and a massive watch party area. El Prado Park will be the hub for our youth soccer clinics, giving local kids a chance to learn new skills and get active. Important details, please note that the registration is required to attend each watch party and youth soccer clinic session. Space will fill up fast, so don't wait. You can find all the details and sign up tomorrow by visiting www.torrentca.gov backslash kick it downtown. That's all one string, kick it downtown. Thank you, and we'll see you in downtown. All right. I think that covered all the announcements and meetings, correct? City Clerk? Chief Dume? Chief Dume?

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Mayor and Council Members. I'm David Dume, Fire Chief. I would like to remind the community that this is the last Craig Bilazarian Council meeting. I had to. That the Torch Refining Company will be conducting – you don't get those chances very often, Mayor. Sorry. The monthly test of the community alert sirens test, that's Wednesday, June 3rd, 1130 a.m., that's two weeks from now. As this is a reminder, this is only a test. The test will include a one-minute all-clear chime followed by a two-minute siren tone and another minute of the all-clear chimes. Total testing time will not exceed five minutes. It is important to note the siren tone may be heard farther than the chimes. Due to an actual emergency, when you hear the sirens, we encourage the community to take action to shelter, shut, and listen for instructions from the city. Shelter in place means if you are outside while at home, go inside. Close all windows, doors, vents, and turn off air conditioning. Listen for instructions from local cable, radio, social media sites, and through the Torrance Alerts app. If driving, continue to drive. Close all windows, doors, windows and vents. Set air conditioning to recirculate. Turn your radio to 1620 AM city sounds for local instructions. If in your car, do not start the engine. Close all windows and vents and turn your radio to 1620 city sounds for instructions as well. Listen for the chimes that signal the all clear message to signal the emergency has concluded. For additional information, residents may contact the Torrance Refining Company Community Relations at 310-212-1852. That's 310-212-1852. We also encourage Torrance residents and businesses to sign up for Torrance Alerts, which is Torrance's emergency notification and warning system. Torrance Alerts delivers early warning and real-time updates during emergencies such as earthquakes, fires, or public health events. When action is needed, like evacuations, avoid or shelter in place, you'll receive alerts by phone, text, emails, or through the Torrance Alerts app. For more information regarding Torrance Alerts, please go to the city's webpage at www.torranceca.gov forward slash Torrance Alerts. Thank you, Your Honor.

Thank you very much. Moving on to community matters. 6A is a proclamation declaring May 21st, 2026 as Bike to Work Day in the City of Torrance, California. I'd like to invite my colleagues on the council to join in reading the proclamation. I'll start from my right-hand side. Following the reading, I'll invite Kim Turner and her transit team to the podium to receive the proclamation. Let's go.

Whereas bicycle commuting helps improve the livability of communities benefiting all citizens by reducing traffic noise and congestion and improving air quality, and Whereas bicycle commuting is a zero-emission form of transportation that helps promote bicycling as a form of transportation to the workplace,

Demonstrates an environmentally friendly transportation option and promotes good health and whereas bicycle transportation is an integral part of the multimodal transportation system planned for by the federal state regional and local transportation government agencies and whereas many businesses

and transit systems including Torrance Transit have installed bicycle facilities such as a bicycle racks on buses that can carry up to three bicycles to hundreds of locations around the region and secure bicycle parking to help customers and employees commute by bicycle and

Whereas, local bicycle commute promotions known as Bike to Work Day have been successful at encouraging bicycle commuting and recreational bicycling.

Whereas, the City of Torrance has over 50 employees who regularly bicycle to work to city facilities.

Now, therefore, I, George Chen, as Mayor of the City of Torrance, California, do hereby proclaim May 21st, 2026 as Bike to Work Day. In the City of Torrance, I encourage all commuters to participate in helping to reduce traffic, promote good health, and improve air quality by riding their bicycles to work on Thursday, May 21st, 2026. All right.

Thank you, Mayor and City Council. As you indicated, on Thursday, May 21st, 2026, Torrance Transit System will participate in a regional event to promote Bike to Work Day in Los Angeles. For that reason, all passengers who board our buses with either their bike and or a helmet will be able to ride for free. Again, for free throughout the region. And now I'll pass it on to Bryce Kennedy with the Community Development Department, who will share our activity for that day. Bryce?

Thank you very much, Kim. So yes, in addition to that very exciting announcement, we will also have a table in front of City Hall on May 21st from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. to encourage all commuters who are choosing to ride a bike to work that day to stop by, get some information on our local bike routes, and also some refreshments that we'll be passing out. So thank you very much.

Who's going to get that? Who's going to read your affirmation? All right, thank you, Kim.

I think I said what I shared earlier, maybe not everyone's here. I think I took a show of hands to see who was here, mainly for item 10B, the Hillside Overlay Workshop. It seems like most of the people in the chamber here came for that. So after the consent calendar, we're going to move 10B up so that we can discuss and have that workshop and give you the freedom to continue to stay for the rest of the meeting or you can go home afterwards. I just want to let you all know that's the change this evening. All right, so now we're 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 M. 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 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 to the city clerk before speaking. Handout will be distributed while you speak. So this is 30 minutes of oral communication number one. Right now it's 7.15. City Clerk, anyone signed up?

Yes, Your Honor. Truman?

Apparently you weren't listening. Torrance is not for sale. On May 7th, $79,000 entered the Team Torrance campaign fund. Within a few days, $73,000 was spent on mailers and ads for Chen, Kaji, Matucci, Michelle Brooks, and Mike Mauno. This money came from corporate interests and political activist groups. Money came into the team Torrance Group from everywhere except Torrance. The treasurer for this fund is Lisa Ray. She's been found liable for over 10 counts of violating the Political Reform Act. Specifically, concealing earmarked contributions and filing false reports to hide the true source of donations. Lisa Rae isn't a treasurer, she's a fixer. You aren't accidentally found liable of what is effectively campaign money laundering. This happens because that's the job she was hired to do. This campaign has weaponized the memory of a dead veteran and shown images of a dead dog to win political points. If you have to rely on treasurers with a history of deceit, outside dark money, shock and slander, it is a confession that you know you cannot win on your record. You are betting that the torrents voters can be bought and distracted by money, mailers, and ads. It turns out character and integrity can't be purchased with campaign funds. Last meeting, John Kaji stood right there and he prayed. May our words and actions be guided by your love and grace. Start acting like you respect the voters, or they will find someone who does.

City Clerk, maybe you could read the next three names.

There's only two more on the oral communications list, Dennis Jeremica and Charlie Salinas.

and my name is uh... dennis jamaica retired detective uh... participated in the uh... parade that we just had, the 64th Armed Forces Day Parade. I went through all the protocols and went through John Newman to give him all the information we needed for the veteran. I think I had the one and only World War II veteran, Ralph Gonzalez, that was with me. I rented a World War II army jeep for the event, and I was right behind the first procession. The one thing I gave you as number two, that was where I was positioned. The reason I'm bringing this up, uh... it was extremely embarrassing for me and to the better into the family of the veteran as well because every station that i came to the first announcer the one in the middle and at the grandstands completely got his information incorrect and wrong We weren't even talking about the veteran himself. It was some other person we didn't even know about. I was extremely embarrassed. I apologized to him as he's sitting. I have my grandsons behind me while we're doing this. It's so unacceptable. I can guarantee you the congressmen and women that went through there, their information was correct. Can you imagine Maxine Waters being announced as a Republican in Montana? That would never happen. But here a veteran, you know, freedom is never free. We might have some pressing matters back here behind me, but nothing's more important than the greatest generation in our United States history was sitting next to me in Iwo Jima, Okinawa, in the Philippines, and he was disrespected that day. I don't mean to bring up these contentions, but to me it means a lot. Leroy Forehand's not here anymore. He's 102. He just died this last year. Also, Bob Lytle, people that I visited often, and they're amazing people. Now, Ralph may not be here next year. His last memory is the memory of what was happening here because what happened in traffic division or whatever it was when I gave him the information, it came back incorrect, and it's alarming.

Thank you, sir. I'm going to ask our staff to follow up at least. We're going to take care of that and see if we can bring him back for a centenarian recognition as well. Thank you, sir.

Good evening, everyone. Again, I'd like to thank everyone involved that put on the Armed Forces Day Parade for another safe and successful Armed Forces Day Parade. We, as veterans, truly appreciate it, and I think everybody in the city appreciates it, too. But I'm looking towards Memorial Day now, and I'd like to pose the question, what is a human life worth? Can it even be measured in dollars? Not my life. On all the war memorials throughout the United States, the names are listed to those people that died in combat. And at every one of the funerals, words said that the United States of America will never forget you and the sacrifice you made with losing your life. Yet nobody visits the war memorials. Nobody brings their grandchildren and children to say, these are the men and women that lost their life serving the United States of America. It's too busy. People are getting ready for a party. They don't have time to visit a war memorial, even on Memorial Day. And it's really sad when I go to these events and I see veterans and family members. What happened to the promise, America will never forget your sacrifice?

Yes, I would say we've exhausted the written list, so you can just come up and get two minutes per speaker. Thank you. Yeah, this is for oral communications, number one, for items that's not on the agenda. If you wanna make a comment on the agenda, that comes later.

All right, greetings Mayor Chen and the city council members. Everyone here is invited to the opening reception for Champions Sports and Contemporary Art and We Are Minnesota Art as Resistance on Saturday, June 6th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Torrance Art Museum. The exhibitions will remain on display through Saturday, July 18th. In the main gallery, Champions is an exploration of soccer and other sport-related themes in contemporary art in celebration of the two thousand twenty six fifa world cup and gallery two curator mark fisher presents we are minnesota art as resistance that responds to current political unrest save the date trist and nobat will return august seventh to ninth two thousand twenty six Ours applications for both shows are posted online. For more information about the museum and its projects, visit torranceartmuseum.com. To become a member, support the museum, and enjoy old TAMA Talks, check out tamadvocates.com. Thank you and good night.

Good evening. My name is Matt Harley, and I live in the Riviera. I'm here to discuss the hillside overlay ordinances.

Sir, you're talking about the, that's item 10B, so you'll have a chance to talk about that then. Public speaking. Yes, this is for items that's not on the agenda, so you will have a chance when it comes to that time.

Packed meeting. All right. Good evening, mayor and council members. So when I was in high school, my government AP teacher taught us one very important lesson about campaigns. Follow the money. Shout out to Mr. Hettinger from West High Gov AP. So there's an election happening on June 2nd, in case you're wondering what all the campaign signs are about in the city. And every time our local elections come around, I have tons of questions about our candidates. Who funds and endorses them? What issues do they support? Is there outside corporate money influencing our elections? As you know, and as the folks in this room know, donors and endorsers can tell a story about what each candidate stands for and who they'll fight for. Mailers, which I feel like I'm collecting like Pokemon cards these days, can give us an unclear impression, and sometimes campaigns misrepresent themselves. Well, I'm excited to share there's an awesome new resource to help us answer all these questions called torrentswatch.org. where you can find all these answers. torrentswatch.org is the city's first nonpartisan voter guide. If you care about local politics as much as I do and want to follow the money, I encourage you all, including all of the wonderful folks in this room this evening, to take out your phones and subscribe to torrentswatch.org. Again, it's nonpartisan and backed by publicly available data. The campaign election cycle ends on June 2nd. I hope everyone gets their ballots on time so that we can have our voices collectively heard in this very important election. Thank you.

Good evening. Is this on? Good evening, Mr. Mayor, council members, staff, everyone here. Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Meelak Din. I am the El Camino Community College District Trustee for Area 5, which represents part of Torrance and Redondo Beach. I'm here with Dr. Brenda Thames, our CEO and President of El Camino College. We appreciate the chance to share our vision for local affordable higher education and to hear from the community. El Camino recently launched the Join the Conversation campaign to ensure that everyone has a voice in shaping the future of El Camino College. We have been a cornerstone of the South Bay since 1947. Each year, we serve approximately 33,000 students across nearly 200 degree and certificate programs. For generations, local students and families have relied on El Camino. for affordable higher education, university transfer pathways, and job training programs. At a time when unemployment rates are high, job training is more important than ever. El Camino provides low cost, high quality education and workforce training. Community colleges can cost as low as six times less than California's public universities, and that difference matters. Affordable higher education is not optional. We offer early college access, enabling high school students such as those in Torrance Unified to earn college credit before they graduate. While our campus is safe, we are committed to further enhancing security systems, lighting, and infrastructure to ensure students, faculty, and staff are protected. We invite more input from the community, including leaders such as you. Please take a moment to share your feedback and visit elcamino.edu, join the conversation. Together, we can ensure El Camino College continues to reflect the priorities and values of the community we proudly serve. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for coming, Dr. Thames.

Good evening. My name is Linda Felstad, and I am a 50-year homeowner in the city of Torrance. I have some questions. Last month at the council meeting, there was an allegation against John Koji. Apparently, he had a relationship with a company who installed a cell phone tower in North Torrance. He did not disclose this relationship, nor did he recuse himself from the vote. I would like to know who's investigating this and when we would hear an answer back on that. Also regarding the proposed annexation of El Camino College and El Camino Village to Torrance, that is supported by John Koji and Ariel Matucci. This would cost the taxpayers millions of dollars, and I would be interested to know how does that benefit the city. Also, I would like to know why the current council wants to add more people in Torrance when our city has a shortage of police officers and an increase in residential burglary and crime. Please vote on June 2nd. Thank you.

Good evening, council members and mayor. My name is Evan Tamura, and I'm here with my classmate, Jacob Kim, and I'm speaking to you during the oral communications number one to bring attention to recycling specifically with numbers. Plastics 3, 4, 6, and 7 are not available for curbside pickup, while 3, 4, 6, and 7 plastics are filled up to around 45% of plastics that are being used.

So we were wondering why we can't recycle plastics numbers three, four, and six, and seven. Because if you notice, some nearby cities such as Gardena and Redondo Beach, you can recycle plastics from numbers one through seven as long as they're clean. So we'd like to know what's the reasoning behind torrent snot. allowing residents to recycle these plastics for curbside pickup. And we were also wondering if the city has considered any adjustments to the curbside recycling program.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Addison Ross, and I am a third-generation resident of the city of Torrance. On April 23rd, at the League of Women Voters candidate forum, Mayor Chen stated that he wanted Torrance to become a destination city. Well, it certainly became a destination city for reporters, as five major events happened roughly between April 17th and April 25th, most famous among them being the assassination attempt against our president and the shooter's relation to the city of Torrance. On April 16th, however, something more important locally occurred. District Attorney Nathan Hockman officially had charges dismissed against two Torrance police officers who... who killed a young man named Christopher DeAndre Mitchell in a suspected stolen vehicle on December the 9th, 2018. And this was an extremely controversial killing. And I am sure that Mayor Chen, Councilman Matucci, and Treasurer Goodrich all saw what occurred in the year 2019 with the council disruptions and the various interruptions that occurred to Torrance residents. While this was very controversial, and I am sure that many people have their own view, I am personally proud that Nathan Hochman made the correct and right decision. As tragic as a killing was, I do not think that someone who reaches for an air rifle in a stolen vehicle is presumed innocent. Rather, I believe it is a presumed guilt, and I believe it is highly dangerous to charge officers when they simply want to keep the community safe from thieves, I understand that this city and this police department has many issues with racism, that I am glad that this shooting eventually brought out. But regardless, the racism of a police force doesn't mean you can charge officers for killing someone, for killing a thief. Thank you.

Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Lucas Valencia, and this is Tyler Anderson. And we are speaking as West High students working on a project focused on one issue we believe deserves continued attention in Torrance, homelessness. As residents of Torrance and surrounding communities, we've seen firsthand that housing insecurity affects real people in our city. Recent homeless count data suggests that the number of unhoused individuals in Torrance has increased significantly in recent years. While homelessness is a regional issue across Los Angeles County, we believe local solutions matter too. Torrance has already taken an important step by opening a temporary tiny home village that provides interim shelter and supportive services. That effort showed us that Torrance is willing to be part of the solution. At the same time, growing needs raises an important question. What could responsible research-based expansion look like? Our proposal is not simply to say build more tiny homes. Instead, we want to help research on how Torrance could thoughtfully explore additional interim housing opportunities. Our group plans to evaluate possible locations using practical criteria, safety, access to public transportation, nearby services, available infrastructure, reasonable distance from residential conflict areas, and whether land may already be city-owned or otherwise appropriate for this type of use.

In our research, we were able to find a promising site near the Torrance Refinery Corridor, which is very close to the Torrance Transit Hub. We selected this area because we believe it's the safest, and it's near a hospital.

Thank you. You can come back in City Hall, have a meeting, and talk about that. Go ahead.

My name is Robert Lippard. I live in Torrance, California, on Carson Street. I'm the house with the signs in it. And I came to talk about Councilman Assam Shaikh. Let me tell you a little story. Assam Shaikh took conservatorship and power of attorney of his neighbor that was 92 in 2022. In July 30th of 2024, he admitted his neighbor to the hospital for malnutrition. He kept him there five months. At the end of five months, his neighbor died in January of 2025 of malnutrition. The only thing I could think of is that Councilman Shaikh told the staff not to feed him or to feed him very little. Now, also subsequent after the neighbor died, Councilman Shaik took physical charge of the neighbor's house and of the neighbor's assets, as far as I know. So the point is, in my opinion, Councilman Shaik has very poor moral judgment and moral values, and I would not vote for a person like this. Torrance deserves better. And also, Sharon Kalani supports Councilman Shaikh, so therefore, she has poor judgment, she encourages poor moral values, and I would not vote for her for mayor. Also, it's not global warming. It's global shifting. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'm here tonight because Torrance residents should never be intimidated for speaking up about matters of public concern. When a cease and desist letter is used to silence criticism, especially around allegations involving elder abuse and fraud, this is not transparency. This is an attempt to chill free speech. The First Amendment protects the right to speak, to assemble, and to question public officials. California's anti-SLAPP law, the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, was designed to protect people from lawsuits that are meant to punish or silence public participation, and that protection matters when residents raise concerns in good faith. If there is nothing to hide, then the answer is simple. Provide the facts, release the records, and let the public judge for itself. Threats and legal positioning do not build trust, openness does. Torrance is a city that honors service, civic duty, and free expression. As Memorial Day approaches, we should remember that those values were defended by people who believe citizens have the right to speak truth to power. That is the standard I asked this council to uphold today. Councilman Shaikh should welcome scrutiny, not suppress it. The public deserves honesty, accountability, and the freedom to ask hard questions without being threatened for doing so. Thank you very much.

Keep on going. We're going until 745.

Thank you. Hello. Good evening.

My name is Haley Amberg.

My husband Jeffrey and I live at 630 Villalos Miradoras. We are in the Hillside Overlay Zone, but this is a You might recognize my name because I sent several letters, certified mail, with no response from anyone on the planning commission.

Are you referring to the hillside overlay discussion?

No, I'm referring to a permit, BLD 25-02578. It's a particular build. It's their permit, and we have issues with it in our neighborhood. There were three. I'll just continue reading. On February 5th, 2025, the Planning Commission approved this project 5-0 on three binding conditions. A 14-foot height limit, surveyor certification before framing, and removal of the pergola. Since then, the scope has grown from 1,013 to 1,457 square feet. The unpermitted attic, which is in my view... is at 17.8 feet in height, exceeding the HOZ limit, and it's currently being used as a living space. I'm actually here because I just feel that no one's listening. My other neighbor that's on the other side of this property has spoken to the community development department, and they basically told him that he cannot view the plans. So I respectfully ask this council to direct staff to place a hold on BLD 25-02578 until each of the eight items in our April 6th and May 6th letter is answered in writing and that these conditions are met. And how are those conditions verified? There's been no communication with the neighbors. We have no updates. We can look at the building online, but it doesn't give you anything as it pertains to these conditions being met.

We've got five more minutes.

Good evening. I'm really disturbed by the cease and desist order by Assam Sheikh. Because as I've heard before from my friend Gabor, it is a non-transparent item that should be with public officials. And personally, I've been involved with a situation where an executor was not the relative And it was very difficult. It's a very sad situation. It's still going on for me and other beneficiaries for over three years. Thus, I feel that more information should be disclosed as it comes about and taken care of properly. Thank you very much.

Just hang on for a second. I think we have more people here than minutes. So, City Clerk, you know what I'm going to do today? Since there's a lady at the end, I'm going to make you the last person. We'll extend it just a little bit, okay? Since you're already up there.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the City Council and Mayor Chen. I'd like to echo some of the words that were spoken right here, right now. I think... Tonight and all the time, I beseech you guys, you people, to do the right thing and address rumors and innuendos head on before reputational damage is done to this body and the city in large. Governance, whether at the national, state, or municipal level, should be conducted with utmost integrity and transparency. This requires integrity in action and appearance. I hope and pray that these accusations against Councilman Shaikh are not true. But anything short of complete disclosure and transparency is harmful and unconstructed. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. So let there be disclosure and discussion, not cease and desist demands and the extinguishment of free speech. Thank you.

Honorable Mayor, City Council, and staff, we have a special person here today, took the time from Washington, and I'd like to at this time recognize him, Congressman Ted Lieu. Thank you, Ted, for being here.

Hello. Good evening. My name is Arthur. And I'm here to perform the duty of a citizen to protect the right of freedom of speech. So I was born in a city far away from here. Her name is called Hong Kong. And before 1997, it was a British colony. And we enjoyed the freedom of speech. And I come here, and I don't want to see our freedom of speech was deprived. And I hope that everyone to safeguard this. And I can't believe that there's any councilman that will use the authority to deprive the right. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Sandy Spolino. I live in the Hollywood Riviera for 61 years, and I want to talk about people running through stop signs. It is driving me crazy. It is so dangerous. So I go to Palos Verdes every day for work. On two or three mile drive, 10 minutes, I will see no less than four policemen. They're hiding everywhere. Everyone stops. Everybody's courteous. The one time I missed a stop sign because it was brand new, I was pulled over. They didn't give me a ticket. Thank you. But in the Riviera, I am the Karen in the street yelling at everyone, what are you doing? Stop. It's so dangerous. You're in the middle of an intersection, and people are already going in. Everybody, women, men, people with children in the back seat, we need more policemen. We need signs. We need to do something. Nobody follows the law anymore. And I will donate to help. Thank you.

All right, thank you for sharing that with us. I'm pretty confident we're going to readdress some of these issues, including people riding e-bikes who's also running stop signs and red lights. All right, so thank you all who spoke. We're moving on to the consent calendar.

Mayor, I have a statement. You're going to make a statement?

Yes.

Go ahead. Thank you. Thank you again for bringing up that false accusations again. I believe last meeting I spent almost 20 minutes to address every single question. The transparency and everything you want to know has been publicly released. And again, the false accusations which come in the form of question again here tonight are a big part of my political opponent's campaign. He and his five supporters know the answers to these questions. Let me repeat, him and his five supporters know the answers to these questions. They know their questions are false. because every one of those questions have been answered in a court of law. It's transparent. It has been released to the public. It was read here in this chamber. But rather than stand against the financial editor abuse of my former neighbor, my opponent has chosen to side with the abuser. and use her for political gain. She has been played again and again. And this is an ugly form of politics that should have no place anywhere, and certainly not here in our city. I now see that the three elected officials that once endorsed my opponent no longer appear on his website. I hope this means they no longer wish to participate in the false slander campaign. And if that is the case, I welcome them to announce Mano's campaign publicly. Thank you.

Councilman Tuchel, you clicked in. Did you want to say something?

Well, yes, because we keep on getting lumped into this. I was also served a cease and desist by a fellow council member, Assam Shaikh, which I believe also violates my constitutional right to free speech. A lot of people received cease and desist for speaking, maybe even asking questions. So I don't want to make this a big public spectacle, but every time somebody talks against you, you make a public spectacle accusing the five people that endorsed them, which it's been made public that I was one of the people that endorsed your opponent. I'm going to mention his name because I don't want to make this a political thing. You know, I don't like being dragged into something that, first of all, I didn't do anything. There's nothing I posted online going against you. There's nothing I've ever said to anybody. I just don't even care what you did or didn't do, okay? But the fact that you sent out just a blanket cease and desist for everybody that's speaking against you just shows that you don't respect people's First Amendment right to free speech. So this is not Pakistan. This is the United States of America. You don't do stuff like that. No. You have the right to say that. You have the right to yell at me, and I respect that. You can call me names. I've been called a million things, but one thing I'm not going to do is send everybody a cease and desist. I have the right to speak up, and I haven't said anything, Assam.

What you just said is very disrespectful.

You know what? What's disrespectful is you sending seats and assists to a blanket people. Hey, guys. That's not right. Guys. That's not right. No, no, no. Wait a second, Mayor. Mayor. No, no. No, wait a second. Last week, we had a 20-minute speech, okay? And it included me, accusing me. Now, I can't even protect myself. I can't even defend myself. I keep on getting thrown into this. I have not done anything, Assam, yet I received a cease and desist. First of all, I'm not going to be quiet. I'm going to speak up. I'm going to say whatever the heck I want. Now, I don't care what you did or didn't do. I really don't care. I don't care. Maybe the people care. I don't care. Okay? So, yeah. So, anyways.

Okay.

I don't like the fact that you sent out a cease and desist, especially to me, a fellow council member. We have the right to speak up as everybody else has the right to speak up. So that's all I have to say. Guys, okay. First amendment, you might want to read up on it. Okay.

Okay, guys. We'll let the legal process occur outside of our council meeting. Please. Thank you.

No, you can't.

All right. Okay, guys. I'll just say one thing.

No, no, no.

We're going on. We're going on.

False accusation is a crime. We're going on. False accusation is a crime. You have right to First Amendment. Counselman Sheikh. Hey, guys. Guys. Guys, stop. Stop. Not true. You're lying. Stop.

Hey, guys. Last time. Last time.

Okay.

Maybe you should take a recess.

Okay.

We're going to take a five-minute recess.

We'll take a five-minute break. Thank you.