Newsletter No. 71

Chen and Kaji undermining City finances.

Travel windfall.

An opponent for Mattucci.

Date night opportunity.

Oh, how things have changed in four years.

In 2021, Torrance was fourth from the bottom in the state-rated likelihood of a city’s avoiding bankruptcy. Then the 2022 ballot had the SST measure, which called for a one-half cent sales-tax hike.

Candidates George Chen, Aurelio Mattucci and Jon Kaji actively campaigned to defeat it.

But it passed and has been credited with reviving Torrance’s financial health. The three now trumpet it and imply they were behind it all along.

Oh, how things have not changed in four years.

Consequently, I see Torrance’s finances once again being a major issue for the 2026 mayoral and council candidates to be quizzed on.

We could look at a variety of concerns, but let’s focus on two: Friendship Cities and the El Camino Annexation. Both show the willingness of the three to undermine Torrance finances now and for the next 10 years.

For purposes of this conversation, I won’t include District 5’s Aurelio Mattucci because he will be termed out. Since he is running for treasurer, he will get his own separate item below.

At the Sept. 13 Council meeting, City staff delivered a report on the Friendship Cities program. What was expected to be a short item lasted for almost two hours and left many people unhappy.

Let’s start with some background: At the Nov. 8, 2022 Council meeting Friendship Cities was proposed. It was controversial from the start because it sounded like a vanity project for Mayor Chen, who wanted to have a connection to his Taiwan homeland. He had District 1’s Kaji and Mattucci, but needed a fourth vote, and District 2’s Bridgett Lewis provided it.

So, he received  approval to spend $70,000 for travel to Asia. On the first trip the whole Council went. Since then, he has returned to Taiwan at City expense.

Chen’s pitch: We will bring businesses to Torrance.

On Sept. 13, the staff reported how much money Torrance has gained from this action: Zero.

But not zero on just a $70,000 investment. Zero on $300,000.

Of that, $200,000 was staff time and trips devoted to supposed Sister Cities opportunities. Staff time that – as District 4’s Sharon Kalani put it – could have been put to better use in retaining current businesses and bringing in more likely nearby candidates who might have moved, for example, from the Westside to the South Bay.

Expect next year’s candidate forums to feature questions on Sister Cities and attracting businesses.

An even bigger fiscal concern, however, is Chen’s desire to spend $150 million over a 10-year period with the El Camino Annexation.

Apparently, Kaji, who has a long history as a developer, has been the one pushing Chen on this. Politically savvy observers have wondered aloud if this project’s  potential is what led the Rancho Palos Verdes resident to rent a North Torrance home he doesn’t actually live in so he could run for a Council seat.

Newsletter No. 70 covered the latest elements of that proposal. If you missed it, go to www.TakeBackTorrance.com. 

$10,000 travel windfalls:

Discovering the worthlessness of the Friendship Cities program so far wasn’t the only shocker from that Council agenda item.

Four Council members voted to let each of the seven have $10,000 in unrestricted travel funds. While the money was in the budget, most people I’ve talked to hadn’t expected it to be spent without strong justifications. As expected, Chen, Kaji and Mattucci wanted the $10,000 that they could use – no-questions-asked.

What blew everyone away was District 6’s Jeremy Gerson who said he would vote for it because the money was budgeted, so why not.

His vote – and his reasoning for it – wins last newsletter’s biggest reader howl.

For a better understanding of what happened, I turn to David Kartsonis, who once again does an excellent job of explaining the issue succinctly:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nEXeMg4O0jU

Mattucci’s messaging:

Mattucci has been very public about his need for the salary and health benefits he gets as an elected official. Consequently, no one was surprised when he filed to run for another elected office. But people were taken aback by the position he chose, City treasurer.

In budget discussions, he has often not seemed to grasp basic concepts. In 2022, when he voted to eliminate more than 30 police officer positions, he argued it wasn’t a problem because the positions weren’t filled. He didn’t understand the consequences to public safety of eliminating budgeted positions.

In the discussion of the staff time for Friendship Cities, he couldn’t grasp that it mattered what the employees were working on. He said they are being paid anyway, so what is the problem?

Recently, his Facebook page featured the reading he needed to do for a council meeting. He complained about what this entailed. It made me wonder if he understands what will be expected of him if he were elected treasurer.

In his online campaign, he has posted a photo of himself wearing a safety vest and another wielding a shovel. As Elliot Hanna responded to the posts: “What does a safety vest and a shovel have to do with the job of City Treasurer? It looks like puerile theatrics to me. Why don't we hear about your financial expertise, relevant qualifications, etc.?”

Also running for treasurer:

No one yet. Current Treasurer Tim Goodrich has said he will decide by the end of the year whether to run. If he decides to go for a second term, I predict Mattucci will lose in a landslide.

But some people are beginning to talk to potential backups in case Goodrich bales at the end of the year. A couple of intriguing names are surfacing.

Yes on Prop 50:

Thanks to all of you who responded to Newsletter No. 70’s push to approve the ballot measure. If it passes, it will attempt to level the congressional playing field after Texas set up five Democratic districts to send Republicans to D.C.

A few of you reminded me that the redistricting dies in 2030 after the new census.

Perhaps the most interesting – and certainly the longest and most-detailed response – came from a reader who publishes https://aprilsballot.com/. She sent me a lengthy attachment, and then said, “For a less overwhelming read, check out this website: https://stopelectionrigging.com/ Scroll down to their 5 talking points.”

I took her up on her offer to subscribe to her site by emailing her at rabbitt101@aol.com with the subject: ADD ME. Why would I want to get any more email? She shared how she researches candidates before deciding whom to vote for, and I was impressed. Those candidates include judicial candidates.

Date night opportunity: 

Studio Cabaret at the Nakano Theater is an affordable evening of live entertainment with free parking. This is a Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation series, and the season’s first shows are Oct. 24 and 25: Ladies of Cool with Kathy Kosins.

Here’s how it works: Go to www.TorranceArts.com and scroll till you see the show. Buy your seat at a cabaret table for $37 each. Interested in dinner? When you click on the dinner option, which is $28, you will see the menu. The food is catered by Critic’s Choice. Yum. TOCA serves Castle Rock wines. At intermission, Torrance Bakery items are on sale – and thanks to owner Kurt Rossberg, the bakery money goes to the Foundation.

Two disclosures: I am on the TOCA board, and I have subscribed to the series since it began more than 20 years ago.

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.