ELECTIONS : 3 Hot Issues May Be on Torrance Ballot

Torrance residents may get a chance to vote this fall on several controversial issues that have plagued city officials in recent months.

A special committee will study whether term limits should be imposed on City Council members and whether the city would be better served if its treasurer and clerk were appointed instead of elected.

The volatility of those questions was evident Tuesday night as some council members clashed on how to go about creating the committee, and what it should do. Council members Bill Applegate and Maureen O’Donnell urged the council to place the three items on the November ballot.

“I really don’t need a blue-ribbon committee to say we should bring them before the voters,” Applegate said, adding that the committee could craft language for the ballot items or study other possible reforms.

But after some debate, the council voted 7-0 to support Mayor Katy Geissert’s proposal to create a 15-member committee that will review the issues.

The committee will report back to the council in late July, which city officials said will allow enough time to meet an Aug. 7 deadline for placing items on the November ballot. Since the proposals would require changes in the City Charter, they need to be approved by voters.

How the treasurer is chosen became an issue this winter when $6.2 million in city funds disappeared in an investment scandal. The loss prompted questions about the city’s longtime practice of giving its elected treasurer authority over Torrance’s $68-million investment portfolio. Thomas C. Rupert, the 28-year city treasurer who is now on stress disability leave, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Most candidates in the hard-fought March 3 election, as well as City Clerk John Bramhall, favored turning the treasurer’s and city clerk’s positions into appointed posts.

A two-term council limit also was supported by many candidates, including O’Donnell and Don Lee, the two challengers who won council seats. All other current council members have served at least one term.

Geissert has suggested that the new group, which will be appointed in April, include representatives of the business community, homeowner or resident groups, public interest groups and four at-large appointees.

People interested in being members should write a letter to Geissert, a council member or City Manager LeRoy J. Jackson.

Burton Fletcher, an unsuccessful candidate in the March 3 election, said Wednesday that he will apply to serve on the committee, which he believes should make its report earlier than late July.

“I think the council should set an early deadline so that citizens who aren’t satisfied have the opportunity to submit alternatives,” Fletcher said.

Charter reform items can be placed on the ballot in one of two ways: by a council vote or through petitions signed by registered voters.