Tornek’s Impassioned Speech: “Sometimes Cities Have to Lead the Way”

A still frame of Mayor Terry Tornek at the City Council Meeting on Monday, May 9, 2016 (Photo – cityofpasadena.net, KPAS).

Just prior to confirming the unanimous passage of a ban on polystyrene food and beverage containers in Pasadena, Mayor Terry Tornek praised the citizens of Pasadena for doggedly pursuing the ban and emboldening the city to do the right thing.

By Debra Penberthy

Speaking to a room packed mostly with supporters of the ban, Mayor Tornek spoke directly to the citizens, saying:

I would like to really express my gratitude to the public on this. The reason that we have such apparent unanimity at the Council is because people have been absolutely dogged in pursuing this ordinance. And, I think that it has taken us a long time, but I’m not apologetic about it.

You need to understand and many of you do, that apart from the various petitions in support [of the ban], we received… [many] individual hand-written letters from small restaurants in Pasadena who are worried about the introduction of this ordinance. And the reason that MSC (the Municipal Services Committee) sent it back for yet another round was because there were valid points made about concerns by these small business people about the fact that they feel like they are sort of confronting a perfect storm in terms of the worker’s comp issues and the minimum wage issues and the healthcare issues, a whole variety of things that seem to be conspiring to put them out of business. So I think it’s not a matter of them being entirely resistant to change. I think it’s a matter of them feeling beset by a whole series of issues that are confronting them and threatening their livelihood… And they love this product. I mean this product is inexpensive, and it stacks, and it keeps hot hot. I mean I can’t tell you how many of these letters remind me that it keeps hot hot and cold cold. And it’s just a wonderful product from that point of view.

…a pernicious
product…that is
inexpensive
only to them
and not to
the environment

The problem is… it is a pernicious product. And it is a product that is inexpensive only to them and not to the environment. And so what you’ve done collectively is to remind us that we have to look at the full cost of these products to society and to our environment. And so as Vice Mayor Masuda points out and we said at MSC the other day, sometimes cities have to lead the way. Because of the various lobbying efforts and political realities in Sacramento, the state isn’t able to do the right thing, at least not right away. But when the cities take the initiative, as was the case with the plastic bag ban, and the minimum wage for that matter, the state finally climbs on board. And my expectation is that if enough cities continue to adopt these kinds of ordinances, sooner or later the state will climb on board. But we need to take the initiative and follow the leadership of our citizens and do the right thing.