10. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
10B.
Community Development – Conduct a Workshop Regarding the Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone and State Housing Legislation and Accept and File the Report on Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone, Hillside Review Processes, and State Legislation. Expenditure: None.
Name
Donald
Reinertsen
Comment 05/18/2026 04:57 PM : (No Vote)
I am submitting this comment regarding the Amberg letter to the City Council.
Donald Reinertsen
600 Via Monte Doro
Redondo Beach CA 90277
[email protected]
3105945332
1 PUBLIC COMMENT REPORT
- AGENDA ITEM 10B
From: Donald Reinertsen, 600 Via Monte Doro, Redondo Beach 90277 To: Torrance City Council
Subject: Public Comment to Item 10B on City Council Agenda for May 19, 2026
1. I strongly support the request of the Ambergs to place a hold on permit issuance for BLDG-02578 and to have approval specifically conditioned on the 8 requests that they have identified.
2. I think residents want to know that the zoning provisions of the HOD will be followed and enforced. Over the past decade, I have observed the permitting of a variety of structures that do not meet HOD height requirements. In effect, the Planning Division is making discretionary choices which accomplish a stealth rezoning of the HOD structure- by-structure. It has approved a pot-pourri structures that have removed the views, privacy, and light that this neighborhood was once noted for.
3. It appears to me that this problem does not originate in the actions of our elected officials but rather in the actions of the unelected staff. Our elected officials lack the time, and sometimes the experience, to review everything in detail. They must rely heavily on staff recommendations. Our elected part-time politicians must rely, in good faith, on the full-time city staff to process facts for them.
4. Consequently, it is absolutely critical that our unelected officials craft excellent statutes, and enforce their intent. Back in 2022, Torrance had the opportunity to exploit the language in AB2221 65852.2 (c)(2)(D)(iv) to create a height limit on ADUs conforming to R1 zoning and the HOD overlay. We could have complied with AB2221 and still limited the height of ADUs to “25 feet or the height limitation in the local zoning ordinance, whichever is lower”. Torrance completely missed this opportunity. We enacted an ordinance that allow ADUs in the HOD be 25 feet high, and that is what we got. Clearly, in the matter of crafting new ordinances our elected officials must provide greater scrutiny than they have provided in the past.
5. At this point, I question whether our elected officials are going to prevail over the unelected ones. However, I consider it essential to try to resolve this problem. It is quite feasible to create a Hillside Overlay Ordinance that establishes clear non-discretionary criteria, and to enforce this with discipline. I think this is what residents like me once had, and what we would like to have again.
2 10.
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
10B.
Community Development – Conduct a Workshop Regarding the Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone and State Housing Legislation and Accept and File the Report on Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone, Hillside Review Processes, and State Legislation. Expenditure: None.
Name
Michelle
Brooks
Comment 05/18/2026 05:17 PM : (No Vote)
Dear Torrance City Council & Staff— Attached please find comments/questions for your consideration regarding Agenda Item 10B.
Thank you!
Michelle Brooks
Resident, District 5
(703) 3467050
3 May 18, 2026
The Honorable George Chen
The Honrable Jon Kaji
The Honorable Bridgett Lewis
The Honorable Asam Sheikh
The Honorable Sharon Kalani
The Honorable Aurelio Mattucci
The Honorable Jeremy Gerson
City of Torrance
3031 Torrance Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90503
Dear Members of the Torrance City Council:
As a resident of District 5, I am deeply concerned about the Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside
Overlay Zone and State Housing Legislation
, which have caused a lot of anger and frustration within our community. I hope to see the following issues discussed during the Community Development workshop tomorrow evening and bring some clarity.
1) What legal steps has the City already been taken to fight against the State’s legislative actions, including
SB 9
and
ADUs
, and how much money has the City expended in litigation to date? 2) Can the City legally modify current ADU laws by adding in parking requirements, height requirements, etc.? Are two-storied ADUs allowed?
3) There has been a lot of conversations around
subjective vs. objective
development standards in the
Hillside Overlay. What modifications, if any, can be made to our existing zoning laws around these standards?
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to the discussion.
Sincerely yours,
Michelle K. Brooks
Resident, District 5
4 10.
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
10B.
Community Development – Conduct a Workshop Regarding the Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone and State Housing Legislation and Accept and File the Report on Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone, Hillside Review Processes, and State Legislation. Expenditure: None.
Name
Fred Crawford
Comment 05/18/2026 05:37 PM : (No Vote)
As a 27year resident, I want the Hillside Overlay Ordinance updated and enforced.
And ADUs need to comply with the Ordinance as well.
Thank you.
Fred Crawford
5 Public Comment for Council Agenda Item 10 B on
May 19, 2026
1. Repeated misdirection by CDDD Ramirez and the Staff of the Planning Division .
Instead of facilitating the hearing and consideration by the T orrance City Council (and the T orrance Planning Commission) of input from the public that is relevant to important Zoning and Land Use matters, it is my impression that Community Development Department Director Michelle Ramirez ("CDDD Ramirez") and the Staff of the CDD Planning Division has repeatedly misdirected requests made by T orrance residents for the consideration and examination of zoning matters. It is my impression that CDDD Ramirez and her Staff do whatever they can to prevent the Council from recognizing and taking steps to remedy this problem.
CDDD Ramirez and her Staff apparently want to retain, for their own use, the power to make arbitrary, day-to-day, decisions as to what building projects are to be approved or denied. I believe that the City of T orrance and the residents of T orrance have been harmed thereby. I ask the City Council to address these matters, without delay.
It is also my impression that CDDD Ramirez and her Staff acted in an similar manner to prevent the Planning Commission from receiving and considering public input regarding zoning and land use matters.
The T orrance Municipal Code ("TMC") expressly states that the Planning Commission has the Power and has the Duty to hold hearings on, and make recommendations to the City Council on matters concerning the use and development of land in the City.1 I had asked the Planning Commission to hold public hearings so that it could receive and consider recommendations to make to the City Council as to changes that the Council could make in response to the recent state law. However, Staff scheduled and held, what Staff described as a "workshop" for the purpose of describing to the public the rules that the Community Development Department uses to process applications for construction permits.
1 13.1.7 POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.
a) The Commission shall hold hearings, make recommendations to the City Council and perform all duties required by law.
b) The Commission may investigate, hold hearings on and make recommendations to the City Council on any matters concerning the use and development of land in the City. (emphasis added)
6 CDDD Ramirez and her Staff has responded in the same manner with regard to the T orrance Council Agenda Item 10B on May 19, 2026. Ramirez and her Staff describe Item 10B in the following manner:
"Conduct a Workshop Regarding the Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside and Overlay Zone and State Housing Legislation and Accept and File the Report on Hillside and Local Coastal Hillside Overlay Zone Hillside Review Processes and State Legislation."
Staff then asked the Council to:
"Accept and file the report...as it applies to residential development in the Hillside Overlay."
I have been informed that some Cities in California have apparently been able to modify their zoning laws so as to retain control over development in their City within violating recently enacted state law. San Jose, La Canada Flintridge, Concord, and Santa Monica have recently modified their local zoning laws in a manner that is purported to comply with recent State Law and that may protect the residential zones in these cities from runaway, uncontrolled development.
In the present circumstance, may I ask that the Council continue its decision in hearing of Agenda Item 10 B to a later date so that the City Council may consider whether or not T orrance also could, and should, take similar steps to protect the residential property located in the Hillside Overlay Zone.
Sincerely,
G. Joseph Buck Resident of the Hillside for 43 years
7