Torrance Glad Debate Plans Not Just Hot Air

Last November, Torrance civic leaders celebrated a decision by the League of Women Voters to hold two nationally televised presidential debates in the city.

Banners were unfurled at City Hall, a high school band played and city officials gushed about the opportunity to show off their community to the nation.

Six months later, local organizers said they are just relieved that one of the debates will be held, as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis prepare to face off at 2 p.m. today at El Camino College’s Marsee Auditorium in the final debate of the primary season.

No Wasted Work

“We were just so happy to get the candidates here because so much work was put into it,” said Jo-Anne Waller, media chairwoman for the Torrance League of Women Voters. “All the work we put in will not be wasted.”

The Republican debate fell by the wayside when Vice President George Bush vanquished the rest of the Republican field.

And the Democratic forum appeared on the verge of being canceled as well when Dukakis backed out to campaign in New Jersey on June 5, which was the originally scheduled debate day.

Local organizers for the League of Women Voters prepared a letter offering refunds to the 120 businesses and individuals that gave money to put on the event.

However, Dukakis and Jackson agreed this week to reschedule the debate for this afternoon.

‘Under-Recognized’ City

“It’s been terribly frustrating because of the uncertainties,” said Mayor Katy Geissert. “The business community put quite a bit into it, and if they had not come, it would have been quite an embarrassment.”

Geissert said she is relieved that the debate will be held, giving media exposure to an “under-recognized” city.

But not as much exposure as organizers had hoped, according to one who said the debate has “lost a lot of momentum that it had going in.”

The Cable News Network was supposed to televise the debate live, but dropped out when it was moved to Thursday afternoon. The C-Span cable network instead will cover the contest, but it reaches 25 million homes, contrasted with the nearly 36 million homes served by CNN.

The public television station in Los Angeles, KCET, will broadcast the debate tonight at 5:30 and again at 11.

Revenue Projection Falls

Judging from the experience of the Torrance Marriott, the debate also will generate less revenue for local merchants than expected.

The Marriott, the host hotel for the debate, expects to rent 80 rooms, about 120 fewer than it had hoped, said senior sales manager David Robbins. Most of the guests will stay two nights.

“In terms of time and energy, it’s going to be pretty much a wash for me,” Robbins said. “We were hoping for more.”

The hotel assisted with lobbying efforts that brought the debate to Torrance, holding dinners and offering complementary hotel rooms to out-of-town officials from the League of Women Voters.

Despite the shortfall in room rentals, Robbins said, the debate is “well worth our time. It’s good exposure for the city of Torrance. We look at this as a community service.”

Mini Mt. Rushmore

The Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce had also hoped that Jackson and Dukakis would spend some time in the city, perhaps visiting a giant sand replica of Mt. Rushmore at Del Amo Fashion Center.

Sculptor Todd Vander Pluym has replaced the faces of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln with those of Dukakis, Jackson and Bush, leaving Teddy Roosevelt’s place in the monument intact.

It is unlikely that either candidate will visit the sculpture or the mall, said chamber General Manager Dan McClain.

A Dukakis spokeswoman confirmed that the governor will not spend much time in the city, coming directly from a campaign stop in San Francisco and leaving immediately afterward for a rally in East Los Angeles. Jackson will meet with the press after the debate and then leave Torrance for an appearance at a Los Angeles housing project.

Local officials from the League of Women Voters are worried about filling all of Marsee Auditorium’s 2,048 seats, since most students will be in school and corporate donors at work. But Waller said the League has a waiting list and will offer tickets to fill in for those who say they cannot attend.

200 From Media Expected

Workers began to set up a debate management headquarters on the campus last week and to prepare a press center that will accommodate 500 in the El Camino College cafeteria. Organizers said they expect at least 200 media representatives.

Ticket holders should arrive an hour before the beginning of the 2 p.m. debate and no later than 1:30 p.m., when the doors to the auditorium will be closed, Waller said. Parking may be difficult because school is in session, she said.

Despite all the last-second worries, organizers said they are elated to be hosts for the debate.

“The fact we lost our first date and then could put everything back together speaks highly for everyone,” Lobb said. “We are delighted we are having a debate in Torrance.”