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Get to Know Your Councilmember - Tonja Torres

Tonja Torres – Candidate for Sierra Madre City Council

Living in Sierra Madre is an incredible privilege. Like many people, I chose Sierra Madre as the place to raise my young children because of its safe, small-town village atmosphere and its tradition of community involvement.

We face complex challenges in order to maintain and enhance village life. Qualified leaders are necessary to ensure well-reasoned decisions. Our leaders must strive to address Sierra Madre’s challenges such as, finding the means to save Sierra Madre’s pristine hillsides, addressing speeding and traffic issues, supporting local commerce, creating affordable senior housing and further improving our public schools – all while remaining fiscally responsible.

Sierra Madre deserves Council Members who demonstrate compassion, fairness and respect for the law, for its citizens and for each other. I strive each day to exhibit these qualities in all facets of my life.

Volunteer Activities
- Past Cultural Heritage Commissioner
- Member of the PUSD Superintendent’s Advisory Council
- Sierra Madre School PTA Board Member
- Member of the Board of Trustees, Sierra Madre Community Nursery School.

Occupation: Appellate Attorney

Education:
UCLA, Law School
University of Chicago

Issues
We must work to achieve the goals and objectives of Sierra Madre’s General Plan:

• Keep traffic congestion at a minimum
• Support the purchase of hillside property by the Sierra Madre Mountain Conservancy
• Preserve a quality of life for Sierra Madre residents which allows them to have commercial retail and services, along with the ambiance of a village atmosphere, in their own community
• Provide business and employment opportunities to local residents
• Encourage the preservation of significant architectural and historical resources
• Protect the high quality of Sierra Madre’s water resources by ensuring that future growth is linked to the availability of water

Tonja and Steve Torres with their children

As a parent raising two young children, I have a vested interest in ensuring we all enjoy a safe community, a pristine hillside, quality schools and a thriving local economy – all of which are defining features of Sierra Madre’s friendly small-town village atmosphere. Additionally, my experiences as a parent, attorney and community volunteer give me a unique perspective, as well as the skills necessary to take on complex challenges in a strong, compassionate and respectful manner, while being fiscally responsible.

I would be honored to serve Sierra Madre as a member of City Council.

Tonja Torres:

Q.  What's your favorite type of music?
A.  Rock

Q.  In or out of that genre, what's your favorite album/CD?
A.  "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" -- R.E.M.

Q.  What's your favorite movie?
A.  "Moonstruck"

Q.  What's your favorite book?
A.   I love so many books, it's impossible to choose just one.  A short list would include "Pride and Prejudice" by  Jane Austen, "The Deptford Trilogy" by Robertson Davies, "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr, "The Broom of the System" by David Foster Wallace, anything by Carl Hiaasen, and any book in the Harry Potter series.

Q.  What's your favorite TV show?
A.  "The Practice"

Q.  What's your favorite meal?
A.  Dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my family.

Q.  Who's your favorite comic?
A.  John Cleese

Q.  Your favorite sports team?
A.   Los Angeles Kings

Q.  Who is/was your favorite president (living or dead)?
A.  Abraham Lincoln

Q.  Who's better -- *N'Sync or Backstreet Boys?
A.  *N'Sync

Q.  Who's better -- Beatles or Rolling Stones?
A.   Beatles

Q.  Who's better -- Mel Torme or Vic Damone?
A.  Mel Torme

Q.  Paper or plastic?
A.  Paper

Q.  If you could meet a famous figure from the past, who would you choose and why?
A.  I'd choose to meet Sigmund Freud.  I would love to hear his reaction to modern theories of psychology and biological bases for human behavior.  In particular, I would be interested  to find out what he thinks about the modern self-help industry.  I wonder if he would relate to figures like Dr. Phil who appear on shows like "Oprah" in order to sell their books.

Q.  If you could meet a famous figure from today, who would it be and why?
A.  I know she died recently, but I'd love to meet Katharine Graham, the late publisher of the Washington Post.  I recently read her autobiography and found her life both fascinating and inspirational.  She constantly challenged herself and was fortunate enough to know so many of the most influential people of her time.  I'd love to hear the stories that didn't make it into her book.

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