The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 4, No. 52 - December 25, 2014 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................6 Classifieds............................7 Crossword/Sudoku.............7 Food.......................................5 Legals....................................3 Politically Speaking............3 Real Estate...........................8 Sports....................................2 TerriAnn in Torrance..........4 Traveling Tribune................8 Weekend Forecast Happy and Safe Holidays to All South Bay Santa wishes everyone in Torrance a Merry Christmas! Photo by Marcy Dugan. Moratorium on “Job Killers” Proposed by Former Governor By Brandon Matson for Torrance Chamber of Commerce Former Governor Gray Davis has a simple message for Sacramento: do not pass laws that will cause California to lose jobs. Davis emphatically announced his recommendation to business, community, and elected leaders at the fifth annual Southern California Economic Recovery and Job Creation Summit. Davis believes that the economy needs time to recover and that Sacramento needs to allow that to happen. “I am proposing a moratorium on any legislation that is more likely to reduce jobs than create jobs,” Davis announced. He later recommended that any legislation causing job loss should not be considered for five years. The conference, hosted by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), brought together policy and economic experts to provide an in-depth analysis of the region’s economic recovery following the great recession. The Summit’s panelists focused primarily on California’s over-regulatory environment and workforce readiness. Economic experts agreed that the SCAG region is on pace to regain the jobs it lost during the recession but are concerned that the new jobs coming into the economy are not the same well-paying middle-class jobs that were present in 2007. Davis is worried that over-regulation in Sacramento is keeping much needed middle-class jobs out of the state. “The reason why California See Job Killers, page 6 Friday Sunny 65˚/45˚ Saturday Mostly Sunny 65˚/48˚ Sunday Partly Cloudy 61˚/47˚ Council Approves Amendment to Implement Bus Signal Priority System By Cristian Vasquez Under the recommendation of the Transit Director, members of the Torrance City Council approved an amendment with Iteris, Incorporated for an additional $324,169 in order to put into place a Bus Signal Priority System. The agreement would extend the existing contract until Sept. 30, 2015 and will be fully funded through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Bus Signal Priority monitors activities of a specific traffic corridor through the use of electronic transponders located within a vehicle and receivers placed inside traffic signals. “Contingent upon the nature of the service that the vehicle performs, a traffic light or signal can be ‘held’ for a given duration of time too ensure that the vehicle can safely cross the intersection,” states the staff report. In 2005 the countywide Metro Rapid Signal Priority Expansion Project began in order to put into place signal priority for seven Metro Rapid’s traveling through a total of 24 jurisdictions. The Metro Rapid Five-year Implementation Plan was established so that the first phase of the project would provide bus signal priority in four Los Angeles County MTA rapid corridors, including Hawthorne, Pacific-Long Beach, Soto and Florence. Torrance Transit began to operate Line 3 Rapid in November 2012 as part of the Regional Rapid Program. The staff report indicates that via a series of Memorandum’s of Understanding developed with Metro, funds were “secured for the operation of the services as well as the implementation of a Bus Signal Priority System.” According to the staff report, the council approved a consulting services agreement with Iteris, Incorporated after having received several bid proposals. The initial contract with Iteris, Incorporated expires Dec. 31. Since the project entails overlap with jurisdictions outside of Torrance, obtaining permission to work at several intersections has not always been easy and at times is a lengthy process. The length of said delays has increased the initial foreseen cost and timeline for the project have been more than projected. Installing such technology heavily benefits emergency services such as fire and police as they receive the highest priority. Other vehicles with equipped with a transponder can also hold traffic signals for an extended period of time, such as transit buses, are programmed for lower priority and can only extend the length of time that a traffic signal holds for a few seconds. Council Defers Approval of Lease Agreements for City-Owned Property as Baseball Fields Due to traffic safety issues, the city council deferred an item to approve lease agreements with Torrance American Baseball, Torrance Little League, Riviera Little League and West Torrance Little League for the use of city-owned properties as youth baseball fields. The five-year lease agreement recommended by the Parks and Recreation will have to wait for approval as city staff can find a resolution for the concerns brought up during the Dec. 9 city council meeting. “I have been living here for 33 years I want to make it clear that I very much support TAB [Torrance American Baseball] and the renewal of the lease,” James Hurst, a resident of the Seaside Rancho’s community, said. “My driveway is the public alley and I do have to negotiate getting in and out of the alleyway. My issue here today, for the record, is public safety and the children because that entry way is not only vehicular but also pedestrian.” Councilman Geoff Rizzo, who asked that the item be discussed separately from the rest of the consent calendar, started by asking what staff could do with regards to traffic and public safety outside the parks where these league play. Hurst’s comments were a direct plea for enhanced public safety. “I live there and a lot of people don’t obey speed rules. I do want to go on record and say that I do believe that TAB is doing a great job as an organization to provide a great service to the community and I commend the city for making See City Council, page 6
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