In January of 2023, a Seaside Ranchos resident who is a professional market researcher created and distributed a survey regarding residents' reactions to the 2022 Holiday Lights period. The survey showed that 80% of Sleepy Hollow residents were 'not content' with the snarled traffic, the outside vendors, the (lack of) a strong police presence and the trash. The results of that survey were reported on and discussed by residents, TPD and other service providers and the Community Development Department at a rather intense community meeting on Feb. 8, 2023. It was at that meeting that Ms. Michelle Ramirez, Director of the Community Development Department, and Captain Hart of the TPD made it clear that in 2023, the outside vendor situation will be handled by a Code Enforcement group, and not the police. TPD bike and traffic officers will continue to receive overtime pay for maintaining a police present at the event, keeping the Emergency Access Lanes clear, handling disturbances, and trying to manage the extraordinary number of vehicles filled with spirited visitors from all over Los Angeles who come to the neighborhood every year.

This Tuesday, October 24, the City Council will review the results of the May 18th Citizen Development and Enrichment Committee meeting, in which the Committee accepted the Staff recommendations. Read the Staff report for Item 9C, including the survey results, here:  9C - STAFF REPORT.  
Staff will recommend that Council 
1). Accept and file the May 18, 2023 Committee meeting minutes; and
2). Review appropriated resource contributions to the neighborhood-coordinated Seaside Ranchos Holiday Lights Display.
To comment on item 9C, you may attend the meeting in person, or send an email to City Council stating your viewpoint,

A detailed account of all the laws governing outside vendors can be found on this City website:  www.trendingintorrance.com/sidewalk-vending.html  Among the very long listing of Operating Requirements for sidewalk vendors (414.1.120), ordinance (c) states that '"Sidewalk vendors must at all times provide a clearance of not less than three (3) feet on all sidewalks or pedestrian areas so as to enable persons to freely pass while walking, running, or using mobility assistance devices and to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act."
Last December, outside vendors blocked sidewalks, streets and even the Emergency Access Lanes. Will the Code Enforcement group enforce that provision this December?

 An email from the Torrance Transit Planning Manager, states the following:
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Metro Staff will not be presenting at the October 2023 Metro Board meeting with a recommendation for a preferred alignment, called the “Locally Preferred Alternative” (LPA).  Metro staff is anticipated to present to the Metro Board in early 2024.
 
Due to recent board motion from LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell to add more communities meeting for this project, the Torrance City Council Meeting to Discuss C-Line Extension to Torrance will be moved to later date (TDB). I will make sure to include you in future updates for this project as well.-  David Mach

The C/Green Metro Line is scheduled to build on to existing lines and go through Redondo Beach to Torrance by 2033, terminating at the new Giordano Regional Transit Center. The Torrance Chamber of Commerce and the City Council previously came out strongly in favor of the extension.
However, with our own District 5 Councilmember Aurelio Mattucci plus District 1's Jon Kaji recently voicing their fears that unhoused people might set up camps where the line ends, the City Council has agreed to discuss a 'no build' option at their October 24th Council Meeting. Ultimately, the LA Metro Board  will decide on where to build the new lines, but its decision may be influenced by the feedback of residents of the cities to which it will travel. 
To read more about the Metro, go to ​https://transit.torranceca.gov/what-s-new/metro-c-line-extension. As always, to express your thoughts to City Council, write to [email protected], or attend the Council meeting, beginning at 6:30 pm.. You can view a video of the Torrance extension route here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfT9UoDv6OY .

.Allstate, Geico and State Farm are among the large insurance companies that have stopped selling new homeowners policies in California. Local Farmers Insurance agents Ricky and Tabitha Pennington and insurance broker Jonathan Halabe explored the reasons for that very bad news (hint: rapidly growing catastrophe claims mean a  monetary loss for the companies) at SNA's general meeting, co-led by Riviera Homeowners Association. We participants learned the importance of keeping, reviewing and updating our insurance policies, If you've remodeled your kitchen or even added an AC or solar panels, update your policy now. Your insurer and future self will thank you! 
The Penningtons can be reached at [email protected] and  [email protected], Jon's email is [email protected].

 
​Seaside resident Doug Macmillan is a popular local speaker who inspires attendees with his presentations about how he turned his typical Torrance post-WW2 home into a completely solar-reliant sanctuary, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. And he doesn't pay a penny to So. Cal Edison or So. Cal Gas!  At our September meeting, Doug demonstrated the advantages of using induction cooking instead of gas- it's faster, it's safer and it leaves no messy stove clean up.  Participants lined up to not only taste the chocolate colored strawberries that he prepared before our eyes, but also to take home an induction cooktop (see below, right) to try it for themselves, and then pass on to other community members. Below, left, Doug takes an audience question. He is open to queries about how to get off the grid and might even give you a tour of his house!  [email protected]    

According to the Coalition for Torrance Airport Reform (COTAR), low altitude practice training flights, a.k.a.  'touch and go's,'  are NOT required for a student to earn a private pilot license; neither do they help meet the federal requirement of the 10 verified takeoffs and landings needed to obtain a license. COTAR and a group of residents support the abolition of this maneuver at Torrance Airport. They say it allows pilots to lift off from the middle of the runway rather than the end of it, thus flying much lower than they otherwise would over residences, and causing noise and ground shaking that negatively impacts the neighborhood below. Read more at ​
​takebacktorranceairport.org/. 

The City Council's agenda for Tuesday, October 17, will include a robust discussion of the use of this maneuver at Torrance Airport.  Pilots, members of the Torrance Airport Association (TAA) and many flight schools students are expected to adamantly assert that eliminating the touch and go maneuver would reduce the skills training that pilots need to practice for safe flying. They say there are already in place enough restrictions on flight patterns and days and times of airport usage to protect the residential neighborhoods  from noise pollution. Read more at ​   www.taainfo.org/.    
 
Both COTAR and TAA are urging their supporters to attend or call in during the Council meeting, or write an email ahead of time stating their opinions. The City Council is slated to vote on whether to ban the touch and go maneuver. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm.

From our friends at the Rose Float Association...

​The countdown is on! It's hard to believe it is already October. Don't miss your chance to decorate the 2024 float!

Thursday, October 19th at 7 p.m. is our first decorator’s meeting at the Katy Geissert Library on Torrance Blvd. Be sure to mark your calendars as the decorating spots go quickly. This is your chance to check off that item on your bucket list and come out to experience the pageantry, camaraderie and the fun that goes into creating our beautiful float!

We have volunteers starting from 13 to over 90, working side by side all week-long gluing, clipping and snipping! Many of our volunteers have made this part of their holiday traditions. So, whether it’s your first time or your 25th, now is the time to secure your spot. We hope to see you there!

Our nominating committee is searching for candidates for next year’s board of directors. If you would like to serve on the board, please contact us
at [email protected]. If serving on our board isn’t your thing, we can always use volunteers to help the directors with various activities and programs throughout the year.
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Please feel free to talk to a board member at our decorator’s meeting if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday, October 19th.

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