Newsletter No. 55

Council asking for a bigger raise.

Adding in the benefits.

Remembering Katy.

Touch-and-goes.

Info on props.

My apologies: Newsletter No. 54 had a glaring error.

I wrote that the Council was asking voters to give them an $1,800-a-month raise.

I was wrong. They want a $2,600-a-month raise.

Here’s the story:

The mayor and council members currently receive $100 monthly honorariums. That’s along with additional funds that we will discuss later.

When raises were first broached, the number presented was $1,900. How did that become slightly more than $2,700?

City Manager Aram Chaparyan explained to me that the $1,900 “is tied to California Government Code Section regarding City Council compensation based on population. We are a Charter City and can set any number with voter approval.”

And someone on the Council – no one is saying who – insisted on a higher number. The number ended up being $2,733.33 because it is a 40-hour workweek at minimum wage.

Some cities pay their elected officials real salaries, but those mayors and councils really run their cities. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass comes to mind.

Torrance pays a city manager to do the real work. That means our Electeds are setting policy, not carrying it out. That requires they attend meetings and read briefing reports. The kind of things that many of us who volunteer for nonprofit boards do, without pay.

District 4’s Sharon Kalani and District 6’s Jeremy Gerson both voted not to put the request on the ballot. They said they considered this their commitment to public service.

The response from readers indicated they agree with that approach. Many said they were infuriated that Mayor George Chen, District 1’s Jon Kaji and District 5’s Aurelio Mattucci had campaigned against the SST sales tax increase only to turn around and ask for money for themselves.

Former Torrance School Board President Ann Gallagher said, “SST was not to give our Electeds a raise. It was for public safety.”

Another reader said, “Kalani is correct that the raises would pay for a police officer or a firefighter. The purpose of SST was to bolster public safety, not pad the pockets of policymakers. I guess if you didn’t support SST, you don’t have to abide by the promises made to voters!”

Adding in the benefits:

The rule-of-thumb on perks: Take the salary and add a percentage for benefits. Of course, many employees don’t avail themselves of everything they could. And that apparently is true for the Council as well.

Mattucci has talked in the past about his appreciation for the health insurance he gets, but evidently the other currently employed council members use their company policies.

Someone had challenged the $23,416 that I said they receive for various items such as health insurance, pension, car expenses, etc. I explained that I had taken it from a Daily Breeze article that listed every city’s stats. My source said the paper had included travel expenses, which are not paid to them but which cover trips on City business.

So how much in additional benefits do council members actually get? We would need a forensic accountant to determine the final number.

Remembering Katy:

Sam Gnerre, the Daily Breeze’s former chief librarian, contributed a charming piece of history: “Remembering former Torrance mayor and community visionary Katy Geissert”: https://www.dailybreeze.com/2024/07/29/south-bay-history-remembering-former-torrance-mayor-and-community-visionary-katy-geissert/

It harkens back to a day when mayors and council members saw their roles as public servants.

Touch-and-go:

It’s one thing to ban touch-and-goes at Torrance Airport, it’s another to enforce it.

On July 25 the City’s Airport Noise Hearing Board found a pilot guilty of the procedure. Strike No. 1. If he is found guilty twice more, he and his aircraft will be barred from using the airport for three years.

A source who attended the meeting wrote me, “It's a start, but more hearings are needed. The Board is ‘scheduled’ to meet twice per month, but until now meetings have been cancelled due to ‘lack of business,’ even though there are an estimated 100+ violations per month. The next hearing is ‘scheduled’ for Aug. 8. We'll have to wait and see if they meet or cancel the meeting.”

They canceled.

November election:

To learn all about the state’s 10 ballot measures, click on https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-ballot-measures-2024/.

CalMatters is the best source for what’s happening in Sacramento.

Before I go:

The City’s deadline for correspondence to be included in the Council’s pre-meeting public supplemental is now 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? Send it to  CityCouncil@torranceca.gov; in the subject line put the agenda item or the topic. If you also want your comments to appear in an agenda item’s Staff Report, send it as well to CouncilMeetingPublicComment@torranceca.gov.

Jean Adelsman

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