The City of Torrance wishes you and your family a merry Christmas!  In observance of Christmas Day, City Hall will be closed on Wednesday, December 24, and Thursday, December 25.  Enjoy the holidays!

TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 4, 2008 - Santa Clause and his sleigh continue a yearly Torrance tradition by making stops across town this holiday season.  Sponsored by the Torrance Police Officers Association, the event features Santa visiting local neighborhoods while riding atop a float.  His arrival is marked by sirens, music and flashing lights.  For safety reasons, Santa does not stop on major streets, but he does stop in residential areas, where he and his helpers hand out candy canes to children.  Most nights, Santa will start his route at 5 p.m.  Exceptions are Saturday, Dec. 6 and 20, when he will start at 4 p.m.  Click here for the nightly boundaries.

TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 26, 2008 - With the approval of the Torrance City Council, the Torrance Community Services Department entered into an agreement with Tyler Sports, Inc. to operate and conduct improvements to the Batting Cage Facility at Charles H. Wilson Park located at 2200 Crenshaw Boulevard. Improvements entail closure of the facility starting December 1, 2008, until the targeted completion date of January 2009.  read more (PDF)>>

From November 3 - December 5, 2008, bring in two strands of old energy guzzling holiday lights to SBESC and exchange them for two strands of LED lights!  Please click here for more information.

TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 14, 2008 - New audible pedestrian push buttons have been installed at the intersection of 231st Street and Arlington Avenue.  The equipment is programmed to emit a "cuckoo" walk sound for crossing in the north/south direction and to emit a "peep-peep" walk sound for crossing in the east/west direction in order to comply with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD).  The CA MUTCD is a reference for determining the type and appropriate use of all traffic control devices to ensure consistency in types and applications.

When these audible pedestrian push buttons were first installed, the equipment was programmed to emit verbal "walk" and "don't walk" commands, instead of "beeps."   A few days after the initial programming, the sounds were reprogrammed to comply with the CA MUTCD guidelines.  At that time, residents and pedestrians were informed of the sound change.  The "beep" sounds are consistent with the audible pedestrian push buttons in operation at the Caltrans-maintained intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and 230th Street, as well as other installations in the surrounding areas.  Contrary to the verbal commands given only in English, the "cuckoo" and "peep-peep" sounds  are universal and international sounds understood by people of all languages, presenting an important benefit to Torrance residents and visitors.

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 24, 2008 - On September 23, 2008, the City of Torrance officially launched the new Torrance Events Calendar on the Torrance citywide website.  The Torrance Events Calendar is a new service and tool to help improve the quality of life in the City of Torrance.  This comprehensive calendar will provide the community and worldwide visitors with a resource for Torrance-based meetings, events, and activities.  Presently, the Calendar is populated with City-hosted events, and all Torrance-based nonprofit groups and organizations are encouraged to submit information about their events for inclusion in the Calendar.  With the click of a mouse, the community can now discover everything that is happening in the City of Torrance.  Everyone is invited to visit the Torrance Events Calendar at www.torrnet.com/events, which is linked to the bottom of every page in the citywide website, under the heading Events Calendar, and also at the top of every page, listed inside the "Quick Links" drop down menu.  For Torrance-based nonprofit groups that are interested in submitting their events for inclusion in the Calendar, please click here for information on how to submit an event.  If you have any questions, please email the Calendar Administrator at TorranceCalendar@torrnet.com.

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 10, 2008 - During business hours on September 9, 2008, the Torrance Police Department's Animal Control received four phone calls regarding two coyotes being sighted in the area of Crest Road and Highcliff Road.  The animals were reportedly seen during the pre-dawn hours in the neighborhood. One caller reported that a cat had been attacked and killed.

Residents in that area need to be aware of these reports and are encouraged to keep children and pets in-doors during the early morning hours when these animals may be roaming.  Any sightings should be immediately reported to the Torrance Police Department's Animal Control Office at (310) 618-3850 between 7:30 am - 5:00 pm or, after hours, to the Police Department at (310) 328-3456.  In the event of an incident which may endanger public safety, the public is asked to call 911 immediately.

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 2, 2008 - With sadness and joyous memories, the City of Torrance announces the passing of former Councilwoman Gene Drevno on Monday, September 1, 2008 after battling cancer. Gene Drevno passed away surrounded by her nine children, grandchildren and close friends. She was 78 years old. read more (PDF)>>

TORRANCE, Calif. - The City of Torrance is pleased to announce the appointment of William Racowschi as its new fire chief. Since starting his career at the Torrance Fire Department in 1980, William Racowschi has risen through the ranks. He was promoted to fire engineer in 1986, and fire captain in 1992, wherein he also served as training coordinator. In 1999, Racowschi rose to battalion chief, a position he has held until his appointment as Torrance's new fire chief effective Sunday, August 17, 2008. read more (PDF)>>

TORRANCE, Calif., May 15, 2008 - On Thursday, May 15, 2008, Mayor Frank Scotto presented his 2008 State of the City Address at the Torrance Marriott.  Mayor Scotto's recorded 2008 State of the City Address will begin cablecasting on Torrance CitiCABLE Channel 3, May 28th through June 24th at 10:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m.; and June 25th through July 23rd at 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m.

Watch Mayor Scotto's 2008 State of the City below and click HERE to view a copy of the transcript.