Assessing the Defeat of Prop. A
Last Tuesday’s Torrance municipal election took on a carnival flavor as hordes of television and media teams descended on the city.
Many of these reporters showed a lack of understanding of the issue (Measure A) and a lack of understanding of our city (the March 5 issue of the Wall Street Journal referred to Torrance as “a small city outside Los Angeles).
They also badly misinterpreted the meaning of the overwhelming defeat of Measure A by the voters.
The defeat of Measure A was NOT a victory for Mobil Oil and a mandate for the continued use of hydrogen fluoride at their Torrance refinery.
The defeat of Measure A was a vote of confidence in the City Council and their commitment to seek mandates from the courts on the handling and use of hydrogen fluoride and other acutely hazardous substances, along with a number of other safety concerns at the refinery.
We can now proceed as a city united behind our efforts to assure a safe community.
The story that the media missed is that the legal action that the city has taken is far-reaching and could be precedent-setting.
We have tremendous respect for the people of Torrance, and we will not betray their trust.
KATY GEISSERT
mayor, Torrance
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