Cliff Numark is the second to answer the questions posed to him by Torrance Think Tank 2008. The answers to the following questions have been posted verbatim. Analysis on Mr.Numark's answers are provided below. Here now is Torrance Think Tank 2008 with Mr. Cliff Numark.
- If Torrance residents visit your page at http://www.numark4council.com/ it seems to have a “green” theme. What would you do to make Torrance a “green” city and environmentally friendly. Also would you consider bringing in new “green” business into the city?
Based on my background, I am predisposed to care about the environment. I serve as Secretary of the Madrona Marsh Foundation, received a Master of Science in Energy and the Environment, and was the first legislative staff member to work on the bill to let alternative fuel vehicles access the carpool lanes (in 1991).
I believe the city, and the Environmental Quality Commission, has taken some great steps forward. The City became a “Cool City” (which means we need to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in our city to 7% below 1990 levels by 2012), supports the South Bay Energy Savings Center (which provides a variety of rebates and incentives on utilities), has formed a green task force among city staff and provides support for facilities like the Marsh. The City and the Torrance Chamber worked together to set up the website www.greentorrance.com, which is a great resource.
I support reducing beach run off by encouraging more restaurants to participate in the Clean Bay Certification Program that recognizes restaurants that comply 100% with cleaning practices that prevent pollution from entering the waters of the Santa Monica Bay. Of approximately 400 restaurants in Torrance, nearly half are already certified.
The city has not met the state’s waste disposal standards, so I would work to implement the green waste program city-wide. I support developing common sense, low cost green building standards (both Toyota and Honda have developed green buildings), which is important because buildings account for a 50% of our energy use. I support using the sumps to enhance green space and to assist in storm runoff purification. I also support conducting regular energy audits. Finally, I think the city could benefit with a big earth day celebration, to support the environment.
In my prior consulting work, I worked with a number of environmental technology companies. I am pleased that GM’s electric vehicle engineering operation is in Torrance, and I believe that through marketing of the city, we can draw in other like-minded institutions. Especially with rising energy costs, alternative energy firms, in particular, can become even more viable businesses.
- Effective and well-funded public safety and other vital services are a concern for all Torrance residents across the city but as of late the state of California is facing massive budgets cuts across the board. These massive budget cuts make many Torrance residents wonder if such budgets cuts from the state will allow fewer funds from the state of vital services such as police, fire, paramedic and educational services. How will you on the city council ensure that Torrance residents do not go without such vital services in the face of budget cuts? Also, how will you ensure that the money that goes into police, fire and paramedic services is used efficiently?
Public safety is priority #1. I believe that one of the primary reasons residents live in Torrance is that the community is safe. Public safety must remain a top priority. But to ensure that we do not face this situation, we need to make sure that Torrance has a strong business community. Sales tax revenue represents almost a third of the city’s general fund. I would work hard to recruit and retain businesses in Torrance – so that we have the public safety services that we need. To support public safety, I am very interested in investigating private sector programs that can provide housing. In programs throughout the country and England, local governments have engaged in shared equity home ownership, in which workers and other entities co-own houses, effectively enabling a public safety officer to live in a $700,000 home for a $350,000 mortgage; the appreciation is split when the home is sold. (There are very many approaches to this overall concept.)
With respect to public accountability, I support regular reporting and metrics to evaluate success. As many management gurus (including Drucker) have said, you can’t manage if you can’t measure. I would want to work with the departments on particular metrics, some of which they are already using, but it would include arrests, paramedic calls, response time, etc.
- Governments ability to respond to the wishes and desires of it citizens is always a key to making a city prosperous and its residents happy. How will you make government more accountable to it citizens and what would you propose in order to make citizens feel at ease when discussing ideas with local government officials?
I have championed an initiative called Torrance 2.0, using technology to enhance government transparency, accountability and efficiency. Specifically, I would propose creating an email database, common for nearly all consumer organizations, that would inform residents of important issues facing the city – before the council or commissions meet. Although meetings are open to the public, few residents scrutinize the city website or scour the posted agendas downtown. Residents could specify particular areas of concern (environmental, planning, recreation) or opt out of the database entirely if they don’t want to participate. Furthermore, this communication tool could be used to inform residents of neighborhood issues (for example, a rash of nearby burglaries or a local community event). And the database could also be used for regular surveys of city services, ranging from trash pick up to water service. As part of the initiative, I believe the city’s website should be improved to enable easily accessible online customer feedback. This initiative complements an online community calendar, which the city is developing, a resource I advocated for as a member of the Parks & Recreation Commission. I know this solution can work: when I started as director of the American Red Cross in Southern California, the organization effectively had zero email addresses. Now, we have more than 200,000 and through this initiative, we collected more blood during this year’s holiday season than we have in recent memory.
- A recent issue worrying many Torrance residents is the threat of the long standing ban on jet fuel being sold at the Torrance airport being lifted. Lifting the ban is practically universal condemned by those who live near the airport as they suspect that if Torrance sells jet fuel they would only battle more loud jet noises flying over their houses disturbing their peace and disrupting their way of life. Mayor Scotto has already said he does not support lifting the ban on selling jet fuel.. What is your position on this issue and if you support lifting the ban what do you say to those residents it would directly effect?
Jet fuel currently cannot be sold at Torrance airport. Although the Airport Commission has reviewed the policy in April, a recommended change in policy has not been forwarded to the City Council. Changing the current policy would require a thorough analysis of potential impacts on residents’ quality of life, in particular, related to noise, growth in airport traffic (with potential increased safety risks, relative to current safety risks), and environmental impact. The analysis should include an assessment by the Torrance Fire Department. Until such an analysis demonstrates current conditions would remain, or improve, the existing policy should stand, which allows for the fuel under emergency situations only.
- Complete the following statement “When I think of Torrance the first thing I think of is….”
A balanced city – the vision of Jared Sidney Torrance, and the history of the city, is a city where residents can live, work and shop - a balanced city of residential, industrial and commercial. I also think of Torrance as the biggest small town in Los Angeles County. Although Torrance has a population approaching 150,000 (larger than New Haven, CT and Topeka, KS), the city has a small town feel, where you can know your neighbors and make a difference at city hall.
6. Is there anything not addressed in the above questions that you would like Torrance residents to know about you personally or why you should receive one of the four votes we will cast on June 3rd 2008?
I am very committed to serve. I view Torrance City Council as an incredible opportunity to serve Torrance residents, to contribute to our great Torrance polity, and to make a difference. I am passionate about enhancing government transparency because I believe more participation enhances democracy – and decision-making. My desire to serve stems from a tradition of public service in my family, all of whom are teachers.
Recognizing my ability to make a difference, based on my community involvement, professional background and policy training, I have been endorsed and supported by a wide range of business, community members and elected officials, including State Controller and Torrance resident John Chiang, Congresswoman Jane Harman, Assemblyman Ted Lieu, Former Assemblyman George Nakano, School Board President Michael Ernst and dozens of past and present councilmembers, commissioners, homeowner association presidents and community leaders. I have also been endorsed by the Torrance Firefighters Association, the Torrance Police Officers’ Association, and the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee.
Analysis:
The point of all Torrance Think Tank 2008 questions is to allow candidates to demonstrate their ability to expand on an issue that is meaningful to
Torrance residents beyond a one minute sound bite. In this instance Cliff Numark does that and gives quite thorough answers.
When it came to the environment I agree with Cliff that it is a precious natural commodity that we must protect. Encouraging Torrance restaurants to join the Clean Bay Certification Program would be a great idea I only wonder how Cliff will be able to convince them to join or if we would result in punishing those who don’t. I am also impressed with Cliff’s work on the Madrona Marsh Foundation and his legislative accomplishment in getting alternative fuel vehicles access to carpool lanes.
I agree with Cliff’s assessment on using regular reporting to measure the success of how accountable local government agencies are in putting our money to use. I also find his idea of using the private sector to provide housing a unique proposal and hope he will be able present and elaborate on such a plan at future forums. I am also interesting in Cliff’s idea to bring business to the city in order to build a large tax revenue base to keep vital services like our police fully functional. Of course all the candidates believe in bring good businesses to the city so I wonder how Cliff’s plans or ideas stand out from other candidates on bringing business in.
Cliff’s idea of having Torrance 2.0, using technology to enhance government transparency, accountability and efficiency is an idea that has not been echoed by any other candidate and is truly innovative on the part of Mr. Nuamrk. Many residents find it difficult and burdensome to try and find crucial documents or files pertaining to the city and Cliff’s idea sounds like a great plan to not only make government more transparent put also easily accessible as well. I am also amazed at Cliff’s past work with the Red Cross going from having zero to 200,000 e-mails in the Red Cross database.
I am glad that Cliff does not support lifting the ban on Torrance Airport selling jet fuel at this time. I wish however he would say that he would never support repealing such a ban for the quality of life of many Torrance would be a greatly effected if such a ban was lifted.
Overall I am pleased and I hope many other residents as well are satisfied with the answers Cliff Numark gave. I believe his ideas would help contribute to the balance of residential, commercial and industrial stability we try to maintain in the city. Torrance’s small town feel yet large population will be protected if Numark was elected to the city council. It also helps that he has many endorsements of respected public officials and committees and if he continues on this path and other candidates cannot provide better answers than Mr. Numark’s than he would get the endorsement of Torrance 2008.
Torrance Election 2008
“Because We Want More Than Sound Bites”