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Torrance council approves limited Dodger Day purchase, chooses July 20 option and to resell tickets at face value
Summary
Council authorized purchase of 500 Dodgers tickets for July 20 with an option to buy an additional 500 if demand warrants; council also approved buying an on-field photo opportunity and running a public drawing for 30 participants.
The Torrance City Council authorized a limited purchase of Los Angeles Dodgers tickets and approved a plan to resell tickets to residents at face value.
City staff presented three Sunday game options and pricing based on prior sales: June 22 (Washington Nationals) — 1,050 tickets at $39,910; July 20 (Milwaukee Brewers) — 1,050 tickets at $42,010; and Aug. 10 (Toronto Blue Jays) — 1,050 tickets at $33,610. Staff noted the city may also purchase a $500 on-field photo opportunity that accommodates up to 30 people.
Staff advised the council the recommended 1,050-ticket figure reflected past sales and that a smaller initial purchase could be followed by another block if demand required. Staff recommended authorizing approximately $5,500 with up to an additional $500 to allow staff to purchase tickets without returning to council for a small top-up.
Councilman Matucci moved to pre-purchase 500 tickets for the July 20 game and resell them at full face value, with authority to buy an additional 500 tickets if there was interest; he also asked the council to authorize purchase of the on-field photo opportunity and to run a public drawing to select 30 guests for the photo session. The motion included reselling tickets at face value to recoup the city’s expense.
Public comment included criticism of the city subsidizing large ticket blocks; a speaker identified as Andy Portshop called the purchase a poor use of public funds. Another resident suggested the city spend event funds locally on park programming and family activities instead.
Councilmembers debated whether to subsidize tickets. Councilman Matucci and others favored selling at face value to replenish general funds; Councilwoman Kalani supported keeping a subsidy in past years but recommended the on-field photo opportunity be allocated by a resident drawing so more Torrance residents could access it. Staff confirmed the Aug. 10 date could conflict with a Friendship City event and recommended avoiding that date.
The council approved the motion to pre-purchase 500 July 20 tickets, resell at face value, authorize an additional 500 if demand warrants, and purchase the on-field photo opportunity; staff will run a random drawing to select 30 on-field participants if the photo option is purchased.
