Candidate for
Governing Board Member; El Camino Community College District; Trustee Area 5

Councilman Cliff Numark is a candidate for El Camino Community College District Trustee #5, to represent West, South and Southeast Torrance and South Redondo Beach.

Numark seeks to contribute to El Camino's educational and technical training mission, which is at the nexus of education and economic development.

Numark is campaigning to contribute toward the fundamentals of the college's mission:

■ Continued education and access to financial aid for students; ■ Enhance seamless connections between graduating high school seniors and the college, to assist with their transition to higher education and technical training; ■ Focus on improved access to college while also supporting initiatives that lead to student success, maximizing the number of students who, as quickly as possible, complete their degrees or certificates or transfer to another institution; and ■ Connect private sector companies with El Camino, to help transition students to jobs. As a councilman, Numark sought to bring a collaborative governance model, seeking input from all parts of Torrance. Similarly, as a trustee, Numark would collaborate with all stakeholders + faculty, staff, administrators, students, community members and local businesses + to deliver the best results for El Camino's mission.

As a councilman, Numark focused on budget matters:

• Ensuring realistic city budget projections
• Focused on critical services, finding the funds to hire an additional police officer
• Initiating energy efficiency programs to help save up to $300,000 annually
• 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 the 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 periods. 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. Numark supported the creation of a computerized traffic management center, to synchronize traffic light signals. Torrance, Sepulveda and Crenshaw Boulevards have been repaired or are being repaired. To reduce traffic, Numark initiated Torrance's participation in the South Bay Bicycle Master Plan. 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. The Council also authorized hiring a consultant to help revamp the mall, which led the mall owner to commit to a $200 million makeover. Numark also advocated for a city business advisory council, to ensure Torrance's daily operations are business friendly. Finally, Numark helped catalyze Torrance's first private sector-led business incubator, the South Bay Entrepreneurial Center, which uses private sector volunteers to mentor new start up ventures in downtown Torrance.

Protecting the Environment. Numark initiated the measure to help save Torrance taxpayers up to $300,000 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. As the former Transportation Committee Chair, he oversaw the purchase of nearly a dozen hybrid-electric buses and expanded bus ridership.

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. 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. Finally, Numark campaigned for Measures Y and Z, to improve Torrance schools.

Transparency. 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.