Tim Goodrich for Torrance City Council

Background:

I served four years active duty in the US Air Force from 1999-2003. I deployed three times in that period for the no fly zones over Iraq, Afghanistan, and the pre-war Iraq bombing. When I saw the bombing of Iraq escalate while President Bush proclaimed we would try diplomacy first, I knew something was wrong. I came back the US and started to speak out against the war at that point. That led to a civilian fact finding trip to Baghdad in 2004 and later that year I co-founded Iraq Veterans Against the War. In the next two and a half years, I traveled the country extensively speaking out against the war and organizing other like minded veterans. Wanting to do something for the 2006 elections, I formed a political action committee called Iraq Veterans for Progress. We won four out of our five supported races (including Jerry McNerney in California) by putting unemployed veterans to work on candidates’ campaigns. In early 2007, I accepted a position as a Business Agent with the California Association of Professional Employees and thoroughly enjoy working for the labor movement.

Goals:

I am running to continue my history of public service and bring open, transparent, and accountable government to the people.
My goals in office are to work on innovative solutions to improve the flow of traffic. Also, I would like to curb the overdevelopment that has happened in the city for the past decade and promote smart growth that will allow people to reconnect with their neighbors and use alternate methods of transportation such as walking and biking. Finally, I want to be a good steward of the environment. I plan to do this by expanding the city’s recycling program to include multi-unit residencies and businesses. I would also like to expand the green waste program and institute a program that would allow people to more easily install solar electric panels on their roofs by eliminating the upfront costs involved.

Issues:

I am running on the issues that concern the people in my community. They are traffic, development, and the environment.

Grassroots Support:

The grassroots will play a large role in my campaign. Because of my history of grassroots community activism, I expect to have the largest grassroots involvement of any campaign. My campaign will be one that is truly for the people and by the people.

DFA Values:

I am socially progressive because I have worked tirelessly to oppose the war in Iraq and also work for the labor movement. In addition, I support traditional progressive positions such as healthcare for all, equal rights for all, clean money elections, and preserving the environment. As a former republican, I also consider myself to be fiscally conservative and realize that things like investment in our infrastructure are not only important to maintain our standard of living, but are also an investment in our future that actually saves money in the long run.