Democracy is Dead in the City of Torrance – Guest Commentary
people of Torrance to start paying attention to the mismanagement of their
City?
meeting witnessed the worst political thuggery any of us have ever seen in
those chambers, as the full force of city staffers, Council Members, and the
Mayor ganged up on the few remaining opponents to their fabricated “optimized”
street sweeping and ticketing plan.
brunt of the attack. His mistake – he asked a few questions about the
significant revenue being generated by this falsely labeled “optimized” plan.
This is a scheme that at least three separate watchdog groups in the city have
proven to be nothing more than a money grab, with no real environmental impact.
But transparency in the City of Torrance has a different set of rules.
so that the fewest number of people can oppose them. Citizen investigators of
the City’s secret refinery additive deal are getting the latest version of this
duplicity and misdirection, something the rest of us have experienced with
increasing distaste for years now. Change the schedule; combine the staff
notes, public discussion, and vote in the same session; make up and hide data —
that is what “The Torrance Way” looks like in 2016.
program in full force will generate over a million dollars a year in revenue.
In case anyone has forgotten, this is the same program that has been consistently
described as “revenue neutral” by City officials. We won’t even try to explain
the fuzzy math that one staffer used to describe a 237% increase in tickets as
a decrease.
![]("https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AcM9ZFtweVA/WGDE7-her-I/AAAAAAAAO68/5Xu3VSfcx0EZtmP7btgonxkS58SHqqKhQCLcB/s1600/torrance-logo-2008.jpg"){kind=logo}
embarrassing admission that their dire warnings of street pollution fines were
based on a spill in their own City yard. A few of us spoke, but the chamber was
essentially empty, and that is where the real problem lies. Is no one else
paying attention to the actions of the bureaustocracy that has taken over this
city?
ceased being a democratic institution a long time ago, and is managed as a
self-enrichment program by a clique of insiders, elected and unelected. Just
check the lopsided 6-1 votes on the council, every time city employee fortunes
are at stake.
Chief are paid more than the Director of the FBI, the Director of Homeland
Security, the head of Cal Fire, and similar chiefs in New York City and many
other major U.S. cities? To put that in
perspective, the NYPD has 34,500 personnel, Cal Fire has 4,500, Torrance PD has
347 and Torrance FD has 163. Does it bother anyone that our City Attorney’s
base pay is greater than the salary of a Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court? Those are pretty lofty numbers for a city that doesn’t even rank in the
top 30 largest cities in its own state.
employees making (with benefits) more than $200,000 per year, with more than
half of the staff (585) exceeding $100,000 annually. Torrance’s pension
obligations now top $2.0 billion (ten times the city’s annual budget) and the
unfunded liability is an unknown, though we know it spiked to $392 million back
in 2012, making it one of the highest per capita in the United States. These
are crushing debt levels that may not lead to bankruptcy just yet, but
guarantee reduced services for decades to come.
just take a look at our city streets and other facilities, which are in the
worst condition in city history, even with the recent flurry of resurfacing and
repair. And by the way, some of those improvements came from the one-time $10
million windfall when Torrance sold part of itself to the City of Rolling Hills
last year.
OH … I do submit that many of the streets are just terrible. I drove up Anza Ave south of Sepulveda, and found one pothole after another.
from the very few of us who have taken the time to act on your behalf. When you
look at the 20,000 new signs that will deface our neighborhoods or pay that
ticket on your windshield, you can pretend that this was ever about the
environment, if you like. But those of us who know the truth will see these
signs for what they are – a stealth tax arrogantly planted in the places we
live by uncaring officials who no longer represent us.
One suggestion–shaming people who are not active is usually not effective.
But the idea of any city leadership not representing anyone? That is a deep problem which needs to be fixed!
we need more of both in the City of Torrance. Join us in demanding the truth
about this ticketing scam.
Reflection
Democracy is not dead, but it's not a program of governance which can function on autopilot.
We are witnessing something much like what French political scientist Etienne de la Boetie documented in his treatise "Why Obey?" or "The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude."
The French nobleman asked a basic uestion: "Why do people do what the government tells them to do?" The answer is actually more subtle than apparent.
We do not obey necessarily out of fear or threat of force. Much of the time, men and women obey and comply because of personal incentive. If I receive a gift or an emolument from the head of state, I am far more likely to do whatever he wants. The same has held true for generations. Judas Iscariot betrayed his Lord for thirty pieces of silver.
The fellow clan leaders who had joined with William Wallace abandoned him on the field of battle for more lands from the King of England. The trick in politics much of the time is finding out a man's price, and then buying him off.
A better method is creating a system of payments and rewards which keeps a person dependent. Welfarism is a canny, subversive example of this corrupting system. In Torrance, this issue is more outspoken, in large measure because so many people work for the city of Torrance. Especially if you are a public employee drawing a six figure salary, there is no incentive or reason to complain about bad governance in the city.
There is another issue …
The homeownership situation. Many people buy a home in the South Bay because of the great weather and the home-town feel. You buy a nice home in the Riviera section, the neighborhood seems to gang up on anyone who wants to redo their home. Other sections of the city face similar setbacks. One resident told me that they had to contribute $1,000 to the Torrance Cultural Arts foundation in order to get prepared plans approved before the Planning Commission!
When I attended a school board meeting earlier this year I was impressed by the number of people attending the meeting. Then I learned that the only reason they were there was to petition against the construction of a gymnasium at Richardson Middle School, which would cast shadows onto homeowners down the hill, and drag down their property values.
Really.
What are the priorities for Torrance residents? When they are keenly felt, then people will either get angry or get out of the city. Let's hope for the former.