Air Fare Payment Mix-Up Explained

I am writing to comment on the Aug. 21 South Bay article regarding Torrance Council travel. The article included a snapshot of Councilman Nakano with the caption, “George Nakano: $1,148 from the city for a ticket the city had already paid for.”

This is a misleading and inaccurate statement. Mr. Nakano took a trip to Washington, D.C., on Oct. 30, 1991, (as a member of the Armed Forces Day Committee, to assist in the arrangements with Pentagon officials for Torrance’s annual Armed Forces Day Parade.)

Ticket arrangements were made through a travel agency on behalf of Mr. Nakano. Mr. Nakano returned from D.C. on Friday, Nov. 1, and filed his travel report with the Finance Department the following Tuesday. The report included his air fare, as he had given his personal credit card number to confirm the flight.

The travel agency subsequently submitted an invoice to the city for the flight. This was received by the Finance Department for payment after Mr. Nakano’s travel request. Due to oversight in the Finance Department, both Mr. Nakano and the travel agency were issued checks for the Washington, D.C., air fare with the same check date.

Councilman Nakano did not seek reimbursement for a ticket for which the city had already paid for, as the caption implies. When Mr. Nakano was notified of the double payment, he researched his records, confirmed that he had not been billed by his credit card company, and immediately repaid the city.

MARY GIORDANO

Finance Director,

City of Torrance