Concerns about property crimes and a request for a Torrance Veterans Committee were the highlights of last night’s otherwise sedate Torrance City Council meeting, wherein the mayor and four attending councilmembers (Councilwoman Heidi Ann Ashcraft was absent) looked forward toward this week’s Thanksgiving holiday.
Torrance resident Adrienne Brandriss raised concerns about an increase in property crimes within the city, claiming that her West Torrance condominium complex has been burglarized eight times since March.
“I thought I lived in a safe community,” the resident of more than 30 years said, noting she now felt a need to take protective measures, such as installing bars over her windows or purchasing a gun (“something I never thought I would have to do,” she said).
She also claimed that Torrance Police didn’t respond to her neighborhood’s concerns, instead talking about traffic within the city, rather than safety. “Sometimes I think I live in South Central L.A., not Torrance,” she said. The council had no response to her concerns.
Resident Milton Herring, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, made a request for the council to consider creating a Military Veterans Commission to help coordinate assistance for military veterans within Torrance.
“We have a lot of young men and women returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there’s a need for some kind of collaboration,” he said. The proposed commission would act as a liaison between the city and private organizations and businesses within the community that are offering aid to veterans and their families within the city. Upon request from the mayor, city staff offered to look into the issue, following the review of budget considerations at next week’s council meeting.
Other points on the meeting’s agenda looked forward to the holiday season, including a report from the Torrance Fire Department concerning turkey fryer safety, a look ahead to the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot by city council members, a proclamation celebrating Small Business Week in Torrance in advance of Black Friday, generally considered the holiday shopping season’s kick-off date.
The Torrance Fire Department and Torrance Police Department are again holding their annual Holiday Toy Drive, collecting toys, games and sporting equipment to be donate to families in need. New, unwrapped toys can be donated at the Torrance Police Department, or any of the six Torrance Fire Department stations.
