7. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS #1 (Limited up to a 30minute period) This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment
on items under the Consent Calendar or items that are not on the agenda . Under
the Ralph M. Brown Act, City Council cannot act on items raised during public comment but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed; request clarification; or refer the item to staff. Speakers under Orals are limited to either Oral Communications #1 or Oral Communications #2 and no longer than 1 minute per speaker. If presenting handout material to Council, please provide 11 copies to the City Clerk before speaking.
Name
Alix Truman
Comment 05/17/2026 10:01 PM : (No Vote)
Documentation of Team Torrance contributions/expenditures and Lyssa Ray FPPC violations.
1 PUBLIC COMMENT REPORT -
ORAL COMMUNCIATIONS
All filings cited are public records. Compiled 2026-05-17. Page 1 of 3.
Team Torrance PAC: money flow
Independent-expenditure committee, City of Torrance, 2026 election cycle
1. Committee identity
Full name (as filed) “Team Torrance, Supporting Chen for Mayor, Kaji, Muano, Brooks for Council and Mattucci for Treasurer”
[“Muano” is a typo on the filing; the candidate's name is Mike Mauno] Statement of Organization (Form
410)
Filed 04/28/2026; date-stamped by Torrance City Clerk 04/29/2026 Form 410 filing ID 216725151 · status: “Not yet qualified” at time of filing Treasurer Lysa Ray (digitally signed 2026-04-28 15:51:34 PT) Principal Officer Phil Anschutz
FPPC ID (assigned after $2,000
threshold)
1490915 · appears on all subsequent Forms 496 / 497
Jurisdiction / Local Agency ID City of Torrance, Los Angeles County · TOR-113148
2. Receipts — $79,000 in late contributions (FPPC Form 497) Contribution
date
Donor Donor location Amount
2026-05-07 California Leadership Today Sacramento, CA 95814 $37,500 2026-05-08 Atlas PAC Granite Bay, CA 95746 $31,500
2026-05-08 Lincoln Club of Orange County Irvine, CA 92618 $10,000 Total received 3 donors, none from Torrance $79,000
3. Independent expenditures — $68,996 spent within 5 days (FPPC Form 496, 9 filings) Candidate (office) # IEs Total spent Media categories
George Chen — Mayor 4 $36,930.48 Literature & Position pieces; Digital Media; Video Aurelio Mattucci — Treasurer 2 $15,097.00 Digital Media; Video Jon Kaji — City Council 2 $11,857.63 Literature & Position pieces Michelle Brooks — City Council 1 $5,110.56 Literature & Position pieces Mike Mauno — City Council 0 $0.00 Named in the PAC's title but received no IEs 9 IEs $68,995.67 ~87% of $79,000 spent in 5 days
All 9 IE filings have activity dates of 05/08/2026 or 05/13/2026 ; six were filed on 05/08 (subtotal $49,237) and three on 05/13 (subtotal $19,759).
4. Timing — a 9-day-old PAC
The committee was opened on April 28, 2026 . The first donation arrived nine days later on May 7. The first independent expenditures were made the next day, May 8. Within five days of receiving any money at all, the committee had already spent
~87% of every dollar
it had taken in
.
Sources for page 1
NetFile public portal (search “Team Torrance”): https://netfile.com/public/TOR/campaign/transactions Team Torrance filings index: https://netfile.com/public/TOR/campaign/filingsByFiler/216725071 Form 410 (Statement of Organization), filing ID 216725151 — downloadable from the filings index Forms 496 (Independent Expenditure Reports, 9 individual filings) and Forms 497 (Late Contribution Reports, 3 filings) — same filings index 2 All filings cited are public records. Compiled 2026-05-17. Page 2 of 3.
Lysa Ray: two FPPC stipulations carry the speech's “10 counts” Team Torrance treasurer — most serious of a longer enforcement record (see p. 3)
Case 1 — Strickland for Controller 2010
FPPC No. 11/073 · Stipulation approved May 19, 2016 · $40,000 administrative fine against Anthony Strickland, the committee, and Lysa Ray jointly Three donors were caused to make four earmarked over-the-limit contributions totaling $65,000 to Strickland's 2010 Controller campaign, routed through the Ventura County Republican Party (VCRP) and Stanislaus County Republican Central Committee (SCRP) to evade the $6,500-per-election candidate contribution limit. Four false campaign statements then concealed the true donors. The stipulation also notes Ray's
prior April 2010 FPPC
prosecution
and
three prior warning letters
as treasurer for three separate committees.
# Date Conduct Statutes
1 June 2010 Caused Templeton to make a $30,750 earmarked over-limit contribution to Strickland for Controller in the name of VCRP
Gov. Code §§ 84301, 85301,
85704; Reg. 18545(a)(1)
2 June 2010 Caused Barth to make a $14,250 earmarked over-limit contribution in the name of VCRP
Gov. Code §§ 84301, 85301,
85704; Reg. 18545(a)(1)
3 October 2010 Caused Templeton to make a $15,000 earmarked over-limit contribution in the name of SCRP
Gov. Code §§ 84301, 85301,
85704; Reg. 18545(a)(1)
4 October 2010 Caused Swanson to make a $5,000 earmarked over-limit contribution in the name of SCRP
Gov. Code §§ 84301, 85301,
85704; Reg. 18545(a)(1)
5 Filed 7/22/2010 False campaign statement (period 5/23–6/30/2010) concealing Count 1 — reported VCRP as donor, hiding Templeton
Gov. Code § 84211(f)
6 Filed 7/22/2010 False campaign statement (period 5/23–6/30/2010) concealing Count 2 — reported VCRP as donor, hiding Barth
Gov. Code § 84211(f)
7 Filed 1/21/2011 False campaign statement (period 10/17–12/31/2010) concealing Count 3 — reported SCRP as donor, hiding Templeton
Gov. Code § 84211(f)
8 Filed 1/21/2011 False campaign statement (period 10/17–12/31/2010) concealing Count 4 — reported SCRP as donor, hiding Swanson
Gov. Code § 84211(f)
Case 2 — Marc Steinorth for Supervisor 2018
FPPC Case Nos. 2019-01802 and 2020-01120 · Stipulation approved June 19, 2025 · $7,500 administrative fine against the committee and Lysa Ray jointly.
Arose from an FPPC audit. Stipulation notes Ray made
net misappropriation of approximately $13,500
from the committee.
# Date Conduct Statutes Penalty
9 Dec 18, 2019 Misuse of Campaign Funds: ~$21,987 bank transfer from the committee to “Lysa Ray Campaign Services” (a vendor controlled by the treasurer) with no legislative, governmental, or political purpose; conferred substantial personal benefit on Ray and violated the Act's surplus-funds restrictions. Of that amount, $8,486.66 was eventually repaid; net loss to the committee was approximately $13,500.
Gov. Code §§ 89410, 89512,
89519
$4,000
10 Reporting periods
ending 12/31/2019
and 6/30/2020
Failure to file campaign statements to disclose reportable activity Gov. Code § 84200 $3,500
Sources for page 2
FPPC stipulation, Strickland for Controller 2010 (Case No. 11/073, May 2016):
https://fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/documents/Stipulations/2016/May/03%20Anthony%20Strickland%20-%20Stip%20and%20Exh.pdf FPPC stipulation, Lysa Ray and Marc Steinorth for Supervisor 2018 (Case Nos. 2019-01802 / 2020-01120, June 2025):
https://www.fppc.ca.gov/content/dam/fppc/documents/Stipulations/2025/june/Lysa-Ray-202001120-201901802.pdf FPPC Enforcement Decisions, June 2025: https://www.fppc.ca.gov/news-releases/2025/fppc-enforcement-decisions-june-2025/ 3 All filings cited are public records. Compiled 2026-05-17. Page 3 of 3.
Lysa Ray: additional FPPC enforcement history
All other public enforcement decisions naming Lysa Ray as treasurer
Beyond the two cases on page 2, Lysa Ray's clients have been the subject of at least eight additional FPPC stipulations since 2010, plus a documented warning letter. Including pages 2 and 3, that totals
10 FPPC enforcement stipulations and ~$88,708 in
administrative fines
across her career as a campaign treasurer.
# Year Case — FPPC # Counts / statutes Fine
A 2010 On Measure B / Newport Beach City Hall in the Park 2008 — FPPC 2008/0022. Ray = treasurer. Failed to
disclose John Craul as the major donor providing ~95%
of campaign funding. Voice of OC and OC Register
reported the decision April 2010.
Major-donor disclosure (1 count) $2,000
B 2014 Asian American Voters Guide — FPPC 14/301 (June 19, 2014 meeting). Ray named as Treasurer in the case
caption.
Failed to timely file semi-annual statement (1/1–6/30/2013) both electronically and on paper with Secretary of State. Gov. Code §§ 84218 & 84605 (2 counts)
$400
C 2017 Spitzer for Supervisor 2016 + Spitzer for Central Committee 2016 — FPPC 17/0019 (June 29, 2017
meeting; streamline). Todd Spitzer = candidate. Ray =
treasurer.
Failed to timely report expenditures of $100+ on 1 pre-election + 2 semi-annual statements (Supervisor Cmte) and 2 pre-election + 1 semi-annual statement (Central Cmte). Gov. Code § 84211 (6 counts) $1,258
D 2018 Save Avalon Now — FPPC 16/19829 (September 20,
2018 meeting). IE committee supporting Mayor Marshall,
council candidates Montano & Hernandez and opposing
MacGugan-Cassidy, Olsen, & Fertig in Avalon's April
12, 2016 election. Mike Sheehan = principal officer; Ray = treasurer (named in 1 of 2 counts).
Failed to timely file 3 24-hour IE reports, Gov. Code § 84204 (1 count, Ray included); failed to disclose full committee name on 14 ads and IE disclaimer on 7 ads, Gov. Code §§ 84506 / 84506.5 (1 count, Ray not named)
$4,500
E 2019 Giba for Mayor 2018 — FPPC 18/848. Jeffrey Giba = unsuccessful Moreno Valley mayoral candidate, Nov 6
2018. Ray = treasurer (in case caption only).
Failed to timely file 1 pre-election statement (period 7/1–9/22/2018).
Gov. Code § 84200.5 (1 count)
$312
F 2020 Residents for Reform + Neighborhood Preservation Coalition + Newport Beach council candidates Peotter,
Duffield, Muldoon, Dixon — FPPC 15/247 & 16/19915
(April 16, 2020 meeting). Ray = treasurer for the IE
committees; David Ellis = controlling consultant. Joint fine across all respondents.
Ray named in 6 counts: (a) failed to identify Ellis as controlling candidate / include name in cmte name / disclose primarily-formed status on Form 410, Gov. Code § 84103 / Reg. 18402 (2 counts, 1 each per cmte); (b) untimely 24-Hour Reports, Gov. Code § 84203 (3 counts); (c) nonmonetary-contribution reporting errors, Gov. Code § 84211 (1 count)
$27,000
G 2021 Barrios for Orange City Council 2020 — FPPC 21/049 (February 18, 2021 meeting; streamline). Arianna Barrios = successful candidate. Ray = treasurer.
Failed to timely file a 24-hour report. Gov. Code § 84203 (1 count) $230 H 2023 Travis Allen For Governor 2018 — FPPC 17/916 (arose in part from FTB audit). Travis Allen = unsuccessful
gubernatorial candidate, June 5 2018 Primary. Ray =
treasurer.
Recordkeeping failures across 4 reporting periods, Gov. Code § 84104 (4 counts); failed to pay expenditures from designated bank account in 2 reporting periods, Gov. Code § 85201 (2 counts); failed to timely report activity in 5 reporting periods, Gov. Code § 84211 (5 counts) — total 11 counts
$5,508
Additional documented incidents (no fine)
2020 — Kevin McNamee for Thousand Oaks City Council . Ray was treasurer. FPPC closed its investigation on September 12, 2020 with a warning letter
for failure to timely file a pre-election statement, failure to timely file a 24-hour contribution report, and miscellaneous reporting errors (Thousand Oaks Acorn, October 2020).
Pre-2010 history per the Strickland stipulation (FPPC 11/073) . Ray was previously prosecuted by the FPPC in April 2010 for failing to include major-donor information in a committee name, and had received
three prior warning letters
as treasurer for three separate committees.
Sources for page 3
FPPC Appendix III — Summary of Enforcement Decisions (2024 update) and Appendix II — Enforcement Decision Citations (2024 update). Both list every case above with statutes, counts, and fines: https://www.fppc.ca.gov/the-law/the-political-reform-act.html FPPC monthly Enforcement Decisions press releases corroborate fines and approval dates: October 2017 (Spitzer), September 2018 (Save Avalon Now), April 2020 (Newport Beach IE cmtes), February 2021 (Barrios), January 2023 (review release re: Allen): https://www.fppc.ca.gov/media/press-releases.html Voice of OC, “FPPC Fines Newport Beach City Hall Campaign” (Apr 2010): https://voiceofoc.org/2010/04/fppc-fines-newport-beach-city-hall-campaign · Thousand Oaks Acorn letter, Oct 2020 (McNamee warning letter; Ray's clients had paid $32K+ in fines as of that date): https://www.toacorn.com/articles/194480/ 4 7.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS #1 (Limited up to a 30minute period) This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment
on items under the Consent Calendar or items that are not on the agenda . Under
the Ralph M. Brown Act, City Council cannot act on items raised during public comment but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed; request clarification; or refer the item to staff. Speakers under Orals are limited to either Oral Communications #1 or Oral Communications #2 and no longer than 1 minute per speaker. If presenting handout material to Council, please provide 11 copies to the City Clerk before speaking.
Name
Xaviera Mack
Comment 05/18/2026 09:04 AM : (No Vote)
I would like to raise a concern regarding student ebike safety in Torrance. I recently observed a minor riding an ebike to school without a helmet and wearing flipflops.
Considering some ebikes are capable of traveling 30–40 mph, this creates a serious safety concern not only for the rider, but also for pedestrians and drivers.
I understand California already has helmet requirements for minors, but I would like the City and/or School District to consider stronger enforcement and additional safety standards for youth riders, especially around schools. This could include safety education, enforcement efforts, and potentially requirements regarding proper footwear and protective gear for minors operating highspeed ebikes.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
5 7.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS #1 (Limited up to a 30minute period) This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment
on items under the Consent Calendar or items that are not on the agenda . Under
the Ralph M. Brown Act, City Council cannot act on items raised during public comment but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed; request clarification; or refer the item to staff. Speakers under Orals are limited to either Oral Communications #1 or Oral Communications #2 and no longer than 1 minute per speaker. If presenting handout material to Council, please provide 11 copies to the City Clerk before speaking.
Name
Thomas
Saulenas
Comment 05/18/2026 04:04 PM : (No Vote)
Greetings honorable Mayor and Council,
Thank you for a wonderful Armed Forces Day parade! As a young child I once had the privilege of riding in the parade along my father who at the time was a Commander of the Hollywood chapter for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. This year I was able to watch him once again ride in the back of a convertible, reminiscent of that parade some 35 years ago. Thank you for your continued support of our active military and veterans, and my dad.
We have an amazing program honoring our Hometown Heroes. I think it would be a valuable enhancement to add a search feature to the city website that allows residents to look up all individuals with banners, along with access to their digital profiles. In the future, it would also be great to include the specific locations where each banner is displayed each year.
Sincerely,
Thomas Saulenas
6 7.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS #1 (Limited up to a 30minute period) This portion of the meeting is reserved for comment
on items under the Consent Calendar or items that are not on the agenda . Under
the Ralph M. Brown Act, City Council cannot act on items raised during public comment but may respond briefly to statements made or questions posed; request clarification; or refer the item to staff. Speakers under Orals are limited to either Oral Communications #1 or Oral Communications #2 and no longer than 1 minute per speaker. If presenting handout material to Council, please provide 11 copies to the City Clerk before speaking.
Name
Cynthia &
Deborah
Cundy
Comment 05/18/2026 04:07 PM : (No Vote)
Dear Elected Officials and City Clerks,
Please find attached the official petition from the Mobile Home Owners Voters Advocacy representing lifelong residents and voters of the South Bay area.
This document outlines urgent issues regarding unsustainable space rent increases, predatory longterm lease coercion, and severe physical infrastructure neglect (including a $40 million federal valuation trap, widespread road deterioration, and pest infestations) currently impacting mobile home owners at 17705 S Western Ave.Gardena CA 90248
As an active constituent block counting on your leadership ahead of the upcoming election cycle, we request that this document be formally submitted into the city and legislative administrative records, and we look forward to your prompt response.
Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Cundy & Deborah Cundy Mobile Home Owners Voters Advocacy Account Reference: 693956
7 MOBILE HOME OWNERS VOTERS ADVOCACY
Date: May 16, 2026
Official Represented: Cynthia Cundy & Deborah Cundy (22-Year Mobile Home Owners) Property Location: 17705 S Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90248 Administrative Account: Account No. 693956
Property Holding Entity: 17799 South Western Owner LP
Management / Operations: Bessire & Casenhiser, Inc. / Kort & Scott Financial Group SUBJECT: Urgent Petition for Action: Local Rent Stabilization for Torrance Mobile Home Owners & Critical Infrastructure Concerns
To: Governor Gavin Newsom, Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Adam Schiff, Congressman Ted Lieu, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Senator Steven Bradford, Assemblymember Mike Gipson, Mayor George Chen, Councilmember Sharon Kalani, and City Clerks,
As 22-year mobile home owners in the Torrance area, active voters, and housing advocates whose family has proudly resided in the South Bay area of Los Angeles for 73 years, we are writing to you at every level of government on behalf of the Mobile Home Owners V oters Advocacy. We are reaching out to urgently address an escalating financial and infrastructure crisis threatening long-term senior-resident homeownership.
With the upcoming election and ongoing legislative sessions, thousands of deeply rooted voters living in mobile home parks are watching closely to see how leadership intends to protect vulnerable seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families from displacement. While we are pressing the Torrance City Council to utilize its incorporated legislative authority to enact a local Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO), we are also urging our state and federal representatives to look into predatory management practices that are driving legacy seniors toward homelessness. The current space rent increases tied to soaring CPI inflation are entirely unsustainable for those living on fixed incomes.
We are formally calling for immediate attention, legislative oversight, and regulatory action on the following critical matters:
• Establish Manageable Mobile Home Space Rent Caps
Current statewide CPI formulas allow for annual rent increases that far outpace fixed senior incomes. We need local and state intervention to restrict annual space rent increases to a manageable flat cap of 3% to 4% at the absolute most. Without intervention, our communities will face a severe influx of senior homelessness as mobile home owners struggle simply to keep the properties they have owned for decades.
Official Correspondence • Mobile Home Owners Voters Advocacy Page 1 of 3 8 • Eliminate Extreme Financial Barriers for New Buyers Park management companies are enforcing arbitrary rules requiring prospective home buyers to prove a monthly income equal to three times the space rent. With space rents skyrocketing toward $2,800 a month, a new buyer must prove an income of $7,000 to $8,000 a month just to qualify. This extreme barrier completely destroys the equity and property values of existing senior homeowners, trapping them in their homes and preventing them from selling.
• Cease Coercive Long-Term Lease Tactics
Corporate ownership is actively attempting to pressure legacy homeowners away from protected month-to-month or annual rental agreements into predatory 10, 25, and 35-year long-term leases. Management "sugarcoats" these long leases as permanent security, but they are intentionally drafted to strip homeowners of mediation rights and locked-in legal protections, all while guaranteeing that the absolute maximum CPI increases are piled onto our rent year after year. We need immediate local and state legislative oversight to protect vulnerable senior homeowners from these heavy-handed leasing tactics.
• Investigate Misuse of Multi-Million Dollar Federal Financing & Market Inflation Corporate ownership utilizes government-sponsored enterprise financing—specifically applying for and leveraging massive Fannie Mae commercial loans in the realm of $40 million—using the high space rents extracted from residents to lock in massive capital injections. This massive debt burden is currently being used to evaluate the park at an artificially inflated price, making it completely impossible for the resident homeowners to ever afford to come together and buy the park themselves. It is entirely unjustified for these corporate entities to abuse federal financing structures to block resident purchase options while leaving the local community in physical neglect. • Enforce Strict Park Infrastructure Accountability
While space rents continue to rise to luxury levels and corporate owners utilize $40 million valuations, the actual infrastructure of these parks is actively failing. Homeowners are paying premium rates while dealing with an active rat infestation near unmaintained trash bins, hazardous potholes, unpainted and unsafe speed bumps, unmarked or unnoticeable street signs, severe park-wide parking issues, and deteriorating asphalt roads plagued by widespread "alligator cracking." High rents and federal financing should not be legally permitted by local or state enforcement agencies in a park where basic health, safety, and infrastructure are allowed to rot.
Mobile home parks provide a vital supply of naturally occurring affordable housing for dedicated, lifelong residents of the South Bay. If government leadership does not step in to protect mobile home owners from predatory space rent increases, coercive long-term contracts, predatory financial leveraging, and neglected infrastructure, it will directly contribute to the displacement of our most vulnerable, long-term citizens.
The mobile home resident voting base is actively counting on our elected officials to champion these protections. We look forward to your formal response detailing how your respective offices intend to address these urgent issues.
Thank you for your time, leadership, and prompt attention to this matter.
Official Correspondence • Mobile Home Owners Voters Advocacy Page 2 of 3 9 Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Cundy & Deborah Cundy
Mobile Home Owners Voters Advocacy
Official Correspondence • Mobile Home Owners Voters Advocacy Page 3 of 3 10