Newsletter No. 67

Residents 1. Pilots 0. 

That was the result of the City Council’s decision to not settle with the pilots at its June 17 meeting  

If you haven’t been following the controversy, here’s a summary of the situation: 

Touch-and-goes and other issues at Torrance Airport had gone beyond infuriating residents, and the Council last year approved ordinances to reduce the problem. 

The measures had proved effective, so much so that the pilots formed the Zamperini Airfield Preservation Society to file suit in federal court. Judge Consuelo B. Marshall insisted on mediation.

In a closed session on May 13, the Council begrudgingly approved an agreement allowing the return of touch-and-goes. Then on May 15 the City’s Gatzke Dillon & Balance counsel told the judge a trial would not be needed. It had been scheduled to start May 23. 

The agreement, however, required the Council's approval in a public meeting, and that was on its 17th’s agenda. To Mayor George Chen’s credit, he recognized the large turnout of residents and moved the item up earlier in the agenda. 

One of the issues for residents: The Council said its outside lawyers had told them the ordinances were within the City’s purview. So why were they now listening to lawyers who were telling them they would lose a suit?

Tom Newman raised the question during public comment and was told it was the same firm, leaving open the question of why the change in advice. But that remained unanswered. 

Many residents then took turns for the allotted one minute to express their views. All spoke eloquently, including leaders such as Libby Spatz, co-president of the Riviera Homeowners Assn., Chuck Costello, chair of the citizens group COTAR, and my favorite airport expert, Richard Root, who started the movement with a petition that gathered more than 1,000 signatures.  

Michael Lyons asked the Council if they were “serving the community or serving the flight schools? The pilots are giving the community the middle finger.” 

Then individual council members shared their thoughts on the topic and said how they planned to vote. District 5’s Aurelio Mattucci, who normally launches lengthy ramblings, started by saying he had a statement to read. It was statesmanlike and ended with his announcing that he would vote against the agreement. 

Each of the others followed suit, leaving only Chen to share his intention – to vote for the agreement. So, the final vote was 5 to 1, with District 3’s Asam Sheikh absent due to illness. 

I had assumed – incorrectly – the public meeting would simply be a rubber-stamp agreement of the May 13 vote.  

If I was surprised – but thrilled – the pilots were also caught off-guard. They clearly thought it was a done deal and none of them showed up at the meeting. On the 18th, their newsletter reported the Council had rejected the agreement but said they were sure they would prevail in court. 

What happens next? Clearly a new trial date is needed. 

Did Chen cast the die?: 

June 2, 2026.  

That’s the election day for Torrance’s mayor. Chen is running for re-election, and District 4’s Sharon Kalani is also a candidate. 

June 17, 2025. 

That’s the date – looking back --that Chen may have set himself up to lose to Kalani.  

He took the side of the pilots instead of the residents of Districts 5 and 6. Several pilots live in Torrance, but most of the people who use the airport are not registered to vote in the City. Kalani has many of Chen’s gaffes to spotlight, but his airport vote was perhaps his biggest. 

Taking pride in Pride: 

June is Pride Month, and Chen is continuing to deny organizers the proclamation because he has said he believes gays have made a lifestyle choice.  



So, they created their own proclamation and read it during the June 17 council orals. Because each speaker is limited to one minute, a series of speakers each read one of the whereas clauses typical of proclamations.  

Housing dilemma: 

At the June 17 meeting, the Council ratified the Planning Commission’s approval of a renovation in the Hillside Overlay. The Commission had OK’d it with misgivings. A neighbor appealed the project because he said the new second story violated Overlay conditions. 

The problem for the City: The plans included an accessory dwelling unit, and ADUs have become the get-out-of-jail card for homeowners wanting to do an end-run around Planning Departments. That’s because the state has denied cities the ability to restrict projects that include ADUs.   

Community Development Director Michelle Ramirez explained that the state would punish Torrance if it blocked the project. The penalty: The state would take control of the city’s zoning and allow developers to build whatever they want wherever they want. She said Norwalk recently found it had lost its zoning rights.  

District 6’s Jeremy Gerson applauded former Council member Mike Griffiths for his attempts to push back against the state on this issue. 

How late was it?: 

June 17 ended at 10:56 p.m. – and the agenda included issues that had lengthy community input. Good job. 

One last reminder: 

TOCApalooza takes over the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, 3330 Civic Center Dr, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 21.

Free entertainment on three stages with food trucks and wine and beer. Besides activities for children, there will be a juried art and photo show and vendors selling handmade items. It is TOCA’s gift to the community.

For more information, go to https://www.torrancearts.org/shows/tocapalooza. Click on the video to see what to expect.  

Then on Sunday, June 22, Downtown Torrance Pride has organized an all-day Gay Pride event with all kinds of things to do.

To see everything planned and/or to get involved, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/downtown-torrance-pride-volunteer-organized-community-event-tickets-1376801433149?aff=oddtdtcreator or https://linktr.ee/DowntownTorrancePride. 

Before I go: 

The City’s deadline for correspondence to be included in the Council’s pre-meeting public supplemental is 5:30 p.m. the Monday before the meeting. The Council will receive anything that comes in later before the meeting, but it won’t be posted until Wednesday. It will be at the top of the agenda. You can also leave voicemails to be included as Oral Communications in the supplemental. Call 310-618-2404 to leave up to a two-minute recording that will be transcribed. Voicemails have the same deadlines as the emails. 

Want to tell the City Council your opinion on an agenda item or address any concerns? The City has changed how to have your comments appear in an agenda item’s Staff Report. You should use the OneMeeting Public Portal at https://torranceca.primegov.com/public/portal?fromiframe=true. 

Jean Adelsman 

 Feel free to share this email -- or tell friends about www.TakeBackTorrance.com. And if you email a response to jeanadelsman@yahoo.com, please indicate whether you are expressing a thought for my eyes only or whether I may share your comments with the whole audience.