Bay Area

Steven Torrence Hired to Lead County of Marin’s Office of Emergency Management

Steven Torrence, who has coordinated emergency response services in the Los Angeles area for the past 10 years, has been selected as the new Director of Emergency Management within the Marin County Fire Department.  Fire Chief Jason Weber said Torrence was the choice among 67 applicants following a nationwide recruitment. His first day leading the County of Marin’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was February 22.

Published

2 years ago

March 6, 2023

Oakland Post

Steven Torrence began duties in Marin County on Febrary 22. Photo courtesy of Marin County.

Fire Chief Jason Weber said Torrence was the choice among 67 applicants following a nationwide recruitment. His first day leading the County of Marin’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) was February 22.

“Steven joins us with a commitment to building more resilient communities,” Weber said. “His experience and passion for emergency management is contagious. He showed his passion as he talked about building critical relationships that ensure success during an emergency response. We are thrilled to have him in this critical leadership role.”

Torrence most recently served as the Emergency Services Administrator for the City of Santa Monica. He oversaw the city’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM), its Emergency Operations Center, alert and warning systems, community preparedness, and emergency planning.

Simultaneously, he served as regional coordinator for Area A of Los Angeles County and helped coordinate trainings, responses, and communications for the cities of Culver City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica plus private-sector partners and hospitals.

His array of emergency experience includes responses to wildfires, tsunamis, the COVID-19 pandemic, heat events, civil unrest incidents, infrastructure failures, aircraft incidents, and large-scale planned events such as presidential visits and the Super Bowl.

He has led regional emergency management committees such as the Orange County CERT Mutual Aid Committee, for which he served as committee chair.

Torrence routinely speaks at conferences and seminars throughout California on emergency preparedness and mitigation in relation to the diversity of the state’s population.

Most notably, he has spoken at the California Emergency Services Association conference on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion in emergency management.

“Building a resistant and resilient community is core to the Marin County Office of Emergency Management,” Torrence said. “To achieve this vision, we must ensure that we are effectively planning and preparing each person for the hazards of today and tomorrow.”

Torrence began to focus on firefighting and emergency management while obtaining an associate’s degree at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, near Los Angeles, then continued with a public administration degree from the University of La Verne.

He has a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management from Georgetown University, for which he serves as a guest lecturer for the graduate program.

He began his professional career with the Rancho Cucamonga Fire District and later became emergency services coordinator for the City of Placentia.

The Marin County Public Information Office provided this report.

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Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

54 minutes ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

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Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

“I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City,” Lee said in an April 19 statement. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.”

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌,
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As a candidate for mayor, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee released a “10-point plan” last week to reassure residents that she will tackle Oakland’s most pressing challenges.

Now that she has edged out her competitors in the ranked-choice special election with 50% or more of the vote, the former Congresswoman, who represented parts of the Bay Area in the U.S. House of Representatives, can put her vision in motion as the city’s first Black woman mayor.

On Saturday evening, Taylor conceded to Lee. There are still about 300 Vote-by-Mail ballots left to be verified, according to county election officials. The ballots will be processed on April 21 and April 22.

“This morning, I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership.”

The influential Oakland Post endorsed Lee’s campaign, commending her leadership on the local, state, and federal levels.

Paul Cobb, The Post’s publisher, told California Black Media that Lee will bring back “respect and accountability” to the mayor’s office.

“She is going to be a collegial leader drawing on the advice of community nonprofit organizations and those who have experience in dealing with various issues,” Cobb said. “She’s going to try to do a consensus-building thing among those who know the present problems that face the city.”

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee’s family moved to California while she was in high school. At 20 years old, Lee divorced her husband after the birth of her first child. After the split, Lee went through a tough period, becoming homeless and having to apply for public assistance to make ends meet.

But destitution did not deter the young woman.

Lee groomed herself to become an activist and advocate in Oakland and committed to standing up for the most vulnerable citizens in her community.

Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for then U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland in 1973. Lee later won a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fellowship to attend the School of Social Welfare, and she earned a Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley in 1975.

Lee later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate before she was elected to Congress in 1998.

After serving in the U.S. Congress for more than 25 years, Lee ran unsuccessfully for California’s U.S. Senate in the 2024 primary election.

Lee joins current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed as Black women serving as chief executives of major cities in California over the last few years.