Candidate for
Councilmember; City of Torrance

As a councilman, Numark has sought to serve as a watchdog for Torrance, trying to ensure a cost-effective city government.

In particular, he has worked on a number of issues, including

• Ensuring realistic city budget projections;
• Initiating energy efficiency programs to help save up to $500,000 annually;
• Saving $50,000 in economic development funds;
• Successfully fighting for the city's fair share - up to $11 million - in federal stimulus funds;
• Teaming with the school board for joint savings;
• Helping protect local funds from the state.

Keeping Public Safety Priority #1. Numark helped our Torrance Police Department create a professional crime scene investigation team, ensuring that the most experienced criminal investigators are on the job protecting our residents. Numark also approved expanding paramedic services and authorized focus-based policing, ensuring police officers are scheduled during peak periords. In 2010, the Torrance Fire Department was approved, once again, to be a Class I fire department. Finally, he wrote a measure to give our police more tools to combat graffiti.

Cutting Traffic and Overdevelopment. In 2008, Numark campaigned to create a computerized traffic management center, to synchronize traffic light signals. The system is 90% complete. Torrance, Sepulveda and Crenshaw Boulevards have been repaired or are being repaired. On development issues, Numark has voted to maintain a balanced city and has supported historic preservation.

Attracting Business. Numark paved the way for Torrance to receive nearly $11 million in federal stimulus funds, allowing the City to repair streets and buy clean hybrid buses. He also initiated the effort to use a loan, rather than a grant as originally proposed, to bring a new car dealership to Torrance, seeking to bring new business and revenues to Torrance while saving our tax dollars.

Protecting the Environment. Numark initiated the measure to help save Torrance taxpayers up to a half a million dollars a year by reducing the city's energy usage. Through this plan, passed by the council, the City will replace inefficient lights, retrofit HVAC systems and potentially use solar power. Numark also led the measure, passed by the council, to encourage homeowners to put solar panels on their rooftops.

Supporting Schools and Seniors. For the first time in decades, the City Council met jointly with the school district to determine how we can work together to save money. This meeting led to the ballot measure that can consolidate the school district and council elections, saving more than $200,000 per election cycle. As chair of the transportation committee, Numark established student fares for Torrance Transit buses, and held the fare at 25 cents for seniors. Numark also initiated the Don't Be Scammed seminar series to educate seniors on fraud, financial abuse and Internet scams.

Transparency and Accountability. Numark has sought transparent government, leading to the city's new domain name, making city government actions searchable and ensuring that city initiatives utilize the web. As a Councilman, he has spearheaded the effort to keep Torrance residents informed of city government happenings via e-mail and other inexpensive electronic methods. Finally, as Chairman of a League of California Cities Policy Committee, Numark initiated the measure, now AB1717, to allow cities and counties to distribute voting information electronically, if voters opt in.

To avoid a conflict of interest in conducting city matters, Cliff will not accept financial contributions from:

• Developers, who have projects before the city,
• Contractors, who have business before the city,
• Unions, which have contracts with the city, and
• Employees, who work for the city.