Page 8 March 12, 2015 TORRANCE TRIBUNE By TerriAnn Ferren Photos by TerriAnn Ferren The subject of keeping chickens and bees in the city of Torrance has come up for discussion. Some citizens would like an ordinance to allow small numbers of chickens and bees in Torrance. On Tuesday, the Torrance City Council will consider, under administrative matters item number 12A. Community Development – Consider a Land Use Study regarding the keeping of chickens and bees for single family residences within the city.’ Actually, I don’t know much about beekeeping or raising chickens, so I decided to ask a few people who have had experience with the issue. First, California has certain laws and ordinances that must be followed and many cities, including Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, South Pasadena, and San Marino, allow chickens and other animals in a controlled manner. This means, certain criteria must be followed. I telephoned the city of Pasadena and spoke with a very nice man named Keith. He told me that they have a Code Enforcement Officer who handles any complaints if there is a problem on private property (with the chickens). He added that all calls go through the Planning Department and that the chickens in the city of Pasadena must be licensed by the Humane Society. That was interesting. My son, Christopher and his family who live in Pasadena decided they wanted to have fresh eggs and bought two chickens. Christopher told me, “They seemed easy to keep, they make decent pets, and they produce food, and it seemed interesting and wasn’t expensive. I went to Mypetchicken.com and did a lot of research about taking care of them and read a lot about it so we didn’t get something we couldn’t handle – making sure the backyard plants weren’t harmful to them.” Christopher ordered a chicken coop, also on-line, and put it together and set it up in the backyard. Then, they drove to Chickens Galore in Norco and purchased two small pullets; a French Copper Maran, and an Americauna hen. All of a sudden I am hungry for an omelet. Sherry Roberts, a 35-year resident of Torrance, actively promotes the keeping of chickens and bees in the city of Torrance. She informed me that the Los Angeles Urban Chicken Enthusiasts (LAUCE), Back Yard Chickens, HoneyLove, and Backwards Bees are all organizations dedicated to teaching people about the benefits of keeping chickens and bees and representatives have appeared before the Environmental Quality Commission on behalf of those working for an ordinance. Sherry told me, “At the last June 2014 Environmental Fair at the Torrance City Yard, there was a straw vote put forth and a resounding majority of attendees voted for the keeping of both chickens and bees.” Some people say that chickens make a lot of noise, but hens are quiet. “I had (3 years ago) this big swarm [of bees] in my driveway and I followed them and they went into an owl nest in the back of my eucalyptus tree and they colonized it. I also had an old cottage in my backyard, which was right next to the beehive and the bees didn’t bother the guys [working] at all, even when they were hammering. They were moved to a proper hive. I have a fake stone [in the front yard] and the bees had dug into the ground and they made a beehive in there. I called up some people to come take them away and they would charge $150 . . . so I have had them there - and I can stand right beside them and they don’t bother you. The bees take on the attitude of the queen. . . .” said Sherry. So Sherry has bees buzzing in her backyard and in her front yard! Next, I spoke with Ron Bitzer who works for the Little Company of Mary Hospital Foundation and has been a bee enthusiast since he was a teenager with the 4-H Club. Ron has been a beekeeper for over two decades, and shared, “UCLA issued a report, Cultivate L.A., identifying 1300 diverse urban agricultural sites throughout the county of L.A. yet, L.A. city ranks 42nd among US cities in terms of promoting urban agriculture. The beekeeping in Torrance would help promote that of course.” He told me that the Los Angeles Planning Department has been instructed through Los Angeles City Council file 12-0785 to come up with a plan to allow two hives per resident. Ron also told me “I was a bee keeper in Redondo Beach and also in Palos Verdes. I think I remember I gave it all away [the honey]. The South Bay is very good for bees because the air is moist and people grow a lot of flowers.” The ordinance will contain rules that would dictate how close the bees could be to another house, how many hives, etc. “Swarming is a natural process, and coupled with another motion, that would encourage the city to save these swarms rather than calling the fire department to kill them. L.A. was considered a garden spot… so I hope public opinion will be in support of open space and urban agriculture. I hope that anyone in an official capacity would seek out advice from experienced bee keepers,” said Ron who believes that the ‘bees are under attack.’ Talking with others around town about chickens and bees, I was bombarded with a cross section of opinions. “I am against chickens in the city!” one said. “I’m allergic to bees!” another yelled. What I have discovered is this issue divides people. Either you embrace the proposition of chickens and bees or you don’t. Seems to me there are lots of questions that need to be answered before any action is taken. Maybe a look at other cities that allow chickens and bees would be prudent. The subject of bees seems to be the most emotional. Some nearly started screaming at the thought of bees being kept in town. After speaking with former beekeeper Bitzer, I called up my friend, Merlin Manfrina, a farmer who lives in Lompoc, California, and asked him what he thinks about ‘city folks’ having bees and chickens. “As far as chickens in the city, I’m all for that. The only thing with bees is - if you get an aggressive hive it would be kind of bad for your neighbors. If they are aggressive they will run a twenty to thirty foot radius around the hive and anyone who walks through there – not meaning to sting them – but they will let them know they are in their territory. But that doesn’t happen very often, really,” said Merlin. “There is a big deal about chicken farms now. They don’t want them caged anymore and that is a big problem when it comes to producing eggs for the community. They will have to raise the price of eggs,” added Merlin. Merlin told me he has raised chickens since he was seven years old and remembers well his mom ordering the pullets - delivered by the Southern Pacific Railroad in a big box. Thirteen roosters and twelve hens. Wow. “I would sit with them almost every day, watching them. I was just a kid. I even had a couple of them named,” added Merlin. Listening to Merlin tell me about his experiences with his chickens warmed my heart. There are people who have chickens in their backyards in nearby cities that haven’t adopted ordinances yet either. I visited one of those people. This person led me to their huge backyard where there were different varieties of chickens in a pen. The Rhode Island Red chickens were beautiful. This person gathered eggs from the plump chickens and gave me a dozen. The colors were amazing. Light brown, light green, and soft aqua. They were just beautiful. I was told that the eggs probably cost $1 apiece because of the high grade of food fed to these special hens. That isn’t saving any money if you ask me, but the eggs are beautiful and very delicious. One thing this person told me was they used to have more chickens but two or three were killed by raccoons. Makes me think we aren’t as ‘citified’ as we think. Later that Tuesday evening, I attended the Torrance City Council Meeting on March, 3 to listen to the discussion on item 12A under Administrative Matters, to consider the Land Use Study regarding the keeping of chickens and bees. Several citizens attended the meeting and spoke mostly in favor of passing the ordinance. This particular night, the Community Development Department, represented by Linda Cessna, Deputy Community Development Director, presented the findings from other cities and took into account, monitoring, licensing, and complaints. The city council asked specific questions dealing with access to a person’s property if there was a violation, and also staffing concerns if the application, complaint, and monitoring grew to where Community Development would need staff to handle the workload. All good questions and staff did a great job with the answers. In the end, the council voted unanimously, directing staff to further answer their queries and come back to council. The Legal Department will take a look at the proposal and in the end, an ordinance could be brought forth. It is important to note here that the ordinance will not allow for roosters. After speaking to so many people around town and attending the council meeting, it looks as if chickens and bees will be living with us in the city of Torrance very soon. It was said that some in town already keep bees and chickens. Will it be long before we see lemonade stands making way for egg and honey stands? We shall see. In the meantime, keep abreast of what is going on at city council on Tuesday nights – they are busy as bees. • TerriAnn in Torrance Chickens and Bees in Torrance? Call toll-free: 1-800-409-2420 Are You Still Paying Too Much For Your Medications? You can save up to 93% when you fill your prescriptions at our Canadian and International prescription service. Get An Extra $10 O & Free Shipping On Your 1st Order! Call the number below and save an additional $10 plus get free shipping on your rst prescription order with Canada Drug Center. Expires June 30, 2015. Oer is valid for prescription orders only and can not be used in conjunction with any other oers. Valid for new customers only. One time use per household. Order Now! 1-800-409-2420 Use code 10FREE to receive this special oer. Compare our prices and see how much you can save on your medications! Their Price Bottle A Manufactured By PfizerTM. 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