TORRANCE TRIBUNE May 12, 2016 Page 9 Election 2016 Tribune’s Candidate Q & A We do not edit or correct the candidates answers. All answers are limited to 100 words. Good luck to our candidates. 1. Is the City going in the right direction? If yes, why. If not, what would you do to change it? Dr. Eng: Torrance is wonderful; its environment, schools, ambiance. However, City Government operates with complacent stewardship, instead of being proactive, especially regarding Public Health and Safety. Think Refinery Explosion, constant flaring, catalyst dust for miles, “rotten egg” smells throughout the night. Our Mayor says there is “nothing we can do”. They’re missing opportunities. In 1989, Torrance levied a Public Nuisance claim against ExxonMobil’s 1987 explosion. We need a second claim immediately, prior to the Refinery sale, for the Feb. 18, 2015 explosion, to preserve evidence and people knowledge, and force ExxonMobil to leave us a Safe Refinery, before exiting town. Mike Griffiths: Torrance is moving in the right direction again, and I say that as a result of almost 2 years serving as a member of the City Council. Our budget is balanced and reserves are increasing. We’re taking steps to restore programs that were cut during the recession, notably, funding for the Torrance Rose Float, and returning a Torrance Fireworks show. We’re also working hard to improve our streets and sidewalks, with many projects completed, and many more in progress or planned. The Hawthorne corridor is improving, partly as a result of the significant upgrades to the Del Amo Fashion Center. Milton Herring: Generally, Yes, we are going in the right direction and have for many years. We are working with a two-year balanced budget and the City has a Strategic Plan that I would work to continue to implement. While some improvements have been made in addressing our aging infrastructure, I would like to see even more attention given to this area. While we are experiencing some economic growth, with the loss of revenue from ExxonMobil, and our unfunded liabilities, I would work with the Council to seek creative ways to improve our bottom line. Leilani Kimmel-Dagostino: : Yes, the City is going in the right direction. With the steady leadership of our Mayor and City Council, Torrance is thriving. New businesses are opening their doors every day. The Del Amo Mall has undergone an amazing transformation. Our city services are stronger than ever. However sometimes it takes a long time to make a decision on something and our proposed ordinances become very long, complicated, and difficult to understand. I would like to see a streamlined process and shorter, less wordy ordinances. Geoffrey Rizzo: Yes, I believe the City is going in the right direction. Asam Sheikh: Candidate did not submit answers to questions. 2. How do you plan on balancing input from staff and the interest of residents with regard to the Hillside Ordinance issues? Dr. Eng: Tree and View Ordinances should be fair and equitable to View Seekers desiring to look, and Vegetation Owners desiring to not be seen. Tree and View Ordinance sunset clauses (only 10-15 years of “View Protection”) disadvantage both long-term View Seekers and Vegetation Owners, unjustly favoring properties that change hands multiple times. These sunset clause defects can be cured using pay-per-view methods, requiring yearly Permits for View Seekers to pay for yearly vegetation adjustments levied as an offsite burden onto adjacent properties. Some Permit fee portion should go to Vegetation Owners, similar to mineral rights adjudication. Mike Griffiths: As Chair of the Council Committee handling the Hillside View ordinance regarding vegetation, I’m very close to this issue. We’ve held several meetings attended by hundreds of residents where we have listened to a LOT of input from residents as to what they would like to see. We have a good idea of what the public wants as a result of those meetings and now need to try to fit that in with the staffing and other City costs that might be required to implement this. The impact on the budget is likely to be the biggest obstacle to overcome. Milton Herring: Our staff are the subject matter experts and they are well trained in their respective fields. However, the councilmembers must listen to the concerns of the residents and make decisions based on law and policy. It isn’t just the Hillside overlay, but other issues like Historic preservation, Rose Float Association, Ambulance Service and many others. We need to listen too all sides of an issue and the staff reports. We need to be independent in our decision-making and we need to be open to new ideas. It will always be a balancing challenge. Taking the time to understand is important. Leilani Kimmel-Dagostino: There is a building standard for the Hillside Overlay which should be respected and enforced with regards to view, light, and air. The Planning Commission should carefully review any requests for exceptions to the rule. There is always an appeal process to the City Council if it is felt that the decision needs a review. In regards to a tree ordinance, the City could have resolved this issue faster if they had looked at other ordinances in place like the one in Rolling Hills Estates, and saved a lot of time instead of trying to draft a completely new one. Geoffrey Rizzo: Each Hillside case is reviewed on a case by case basis utilizing the standards established in the ordinance to weigh both sides of the issue and make a determination. Asam Sheikh: Candidate did not submit answers to questions. 3. What do you feel is the best use for ExxonMobil? Dr. Eng: The hurried Torrance Refinery sale compromises everyone’s safety. The 2015 refinery explosion was not during Restart. The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Final Report is needed to identify Explosion Root Causes and Corrective Actions. Implementing all CSB recommended mitigations will enable normal and safe Refinery operation, including Refinery Restarts with pollution controls operational. The SCAQMD allowance of Refinery Restart, without ESP and other pollution controls, prevents ESP Explosion this time, without fixing other potential Explosion Root Causes and Contributing Factors. It leaves Torrance Residents with likely latent defects remaining in future Refinery operations, awaiting the next disaster. Mike Griffiths: The best use of the Exxon-Mobil refinery is to get it running again, safely, for the benefit of all those in our state who depend on the products produced there, including gasoline, jet fuel, and many other products. The key is to do so safely, and with the approvals of all the State and Federal regulating bodies, I believe that it can operate safely. We have commissioned the AQMD to look at alternative technologies that might be used to minimize the risks of using hazardous chemicals in the refining process. Milton Herring: It must remain a refinery, not just for the revenue generated, but also because it is the best use of the land. We can deal with the safety issues by funding an Independent Safety Monitor with the $2.5 Million we receive from the fines. That person must be responsible to the Community, not the refinery or city staff. We also have to understand the issues that come with shutting down a refinery. I sit on the ExxonMobil Community Advisory Panel and have been intimately involved in all the refinery issues. Leilani Kimmel-Dagostino: The Refinery has been in Torrance for 87 years and has been a good neighbor. They employ 1,100 people in good paying jobs and are Torrance’s 8th largest employer. They contribute to the 3rd largest revenue source which is the Utility Tax. They must operate safely and comply with EPA, AQMD, and Cal OSHA Regulations. When an accident like the one that happened a year ago occurs, it is the duty of the company to offer honest explanations, make corrections, and inform the public. The new company, PBF has an excellent record and will continue to outreach with our community. Geoffrey Rizzo: Best use for Exxon Mobil? What it is an oil refinery. Asam Sheikh: Candidate did not submit answers to questions. 4. How would you bring more business to our city? Dr. Eng: Expand types of Home-Based Businesses allowed; remove burdensome restrictions. Implement Permit fee for Home- Based Businesses based on revenue with First-Year-Free, to not overburden start up enterprises. Develop stronger ties between Home-Based Businesses and Planning Commission staff. Require Planning Commission staff to conduct and maintain updated areaby area surveys of local Businesses and Residents, to define what is appropriate on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis. Expand and improve coordination of Torrance Bus Service with neighboring communities, to further minimize traffic impact of people coming to Torrance, or residents who work outside Torrance. Mike Griffiths: Just this week, BizFed, an LA County Business Federation, announced that Torrance is the #1 business-friendly City in LA County. Our City’s effort to be attractive to business is clearly working, but we still have a lot to do. We need to continue to improve our infrastructure – our streets and sidewalks – to make it attractive for businesses to want to come here. We need to lobby Sacramento to help improve the business friendliness of our State. And we need to continue to strengthen our Economic Development effort and interaction with Chamber of Commerce and SBWIB. Milton Herring: I have proposed addition resources being directed to the Economic Development Department I want to look closely at the services we provide to the Community. Are we truly Business Friendly? We should be rolling out the Red Carpet not Red Tape. When was the last time we did a customer satisfaction survey? The issue of the cost of business licenses needs to be revisited. Are there potential businesses that have stayed away because of the cost of the business license? There will always be businesses that leave for one reason or another but we always seem to fill the vacancies. Leilani Kimmel-Dagostino: We must act as Ambassadors to our City and find companies ourselves to refer to our Economic Development Team to vet and fast track their applications. I would continue to work with the LAX Airport Association and the Ports of LA to sell Torrance as the nexus for International trade operations. I would also use a best practices approach to outreach to other cities in the South Bay to find out how they attracted their successful businesses and benchmark our strategy based on my findings. Also I would like to have the permit process streamlined Geoffrey Rizzo: Bringing more business to the City? Working through the City’s office of Economic Development and other organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce, United Small Business Alliance, Business Federation, etc., to market Torrance and the available opportunities and benefits to establishing business in the City. Asam Sheikh: Candidate did not submit answers to questions. • vote torrance Elections 2016 Dr. Genghmun Eng Mike Griffiths Leilani Kimmel- Dagostino Geoff Rizzo Asam Sheikh Milton Herring
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