WWII Camp Wall board members at the April 22 Torrance City Council meeting (from left): Eric Hamada, Nancy Hayata, Brett Smith and Alvin Takamori.
The World War II Camp Wall (WWIICW) was on the April 22 Torrance City Council meeting agenda.
Torrance Community Services and General Services presented a schematic design for the monument at Columbia Park. They sought inclusion of the project in the 2025 State Legislative Advocacy Priority Project and sought approval for the extension of the existing grant from the state, and for funding to allow for staff to proceed with construction documents.
The current grant that was secured by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, in the amount of $5 million, to educate the public on mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II comes due on March 1, 2026. City staff stated that in order to ensure accuracy in the name verification, additional time and funding are needed.
Rendering of the completed World War II Camp Wall at Columbia Park in Torrance.
They requested an additional $4.99 million from the state as part of an upcoming delegation trip to Sacramento and also requested that the existing grant be extended to December 2026.
Tina Chee of the architectural firm Chee Salette made a presentation of the new project design. She stated that historical imagery was explored and other monuments were researched in coming up with the new design, which consists of black granite with the walls displayed along rows of a timeline, and surrounded by trees to create a tranquil space.
The path leads up to a hilltop from which you can reminisce on what you’ve seen.
Discussion was opened up to the public. Brett Smith of the WWIICW nonprofit mentioned that inclusion of all ethnicities of those that were incarcerated during World War II was the vision of the founder of the project, the late Kanji Sahara. He mentioned that the names of those that are not of Japanese ancestry might be added at a future date.
Alvin Takamori, also from the nonprofit, stated that this is not just a static monument for those of Japanese ancestry, but that it is an important educational model for those of all ages and races.
He requested that the nonprofit be allowed a more active role in creating accurate historical content for the informational panels.
Community activists Kay Oda and Jenny Chomori also spoke to the inclusion of the names of Germans and Italians. Chomori stated, “We need to make sure that history is presented correctly. All names of those incarcerated should be included. People of all colors fought for redress.”
Councilmember Asam Sheikh mentioned that he met with Sahara many times, and included in Sahara’s vision was the idea that “never again” should not be limited to one group of people.
John La Rock of Torrance Community Services explained that the State Legislature’s language funds the monument to list the names of those of Japanese descent. Oda stated that the original grant called for the names of Japanese Americans and therefore would not have included the names of Issei.
The wall project is sourcing the more than 125,000 names from Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams via his Ireichō project. The names of Germans and Italians are not included in that project at this time because they have not all been properly researched and verified.
Danny Saltano fron the City Manager’s Office confirmed that the city can always add more names should they be shown to be accurate.
Councilmember Sharon Kalani asked whether there would be another increase in cost due to upcoming tariffs. Chee responded that the granite is being sourced from within the U.S.
The possibility of other sources raising additional funds was brought up. The possibility of the city guaranteeing the funding for this project from the 2025-26 city budget was discussed.
Mayor George Chen stated that if needed, the project needs to add more space so that it will allow for growth. He emphasized the importance of proceeding with Phase 1.
The motion to include funding in the city’s 2025-26 budget, to approve the new site design, to include the project in the 2025 state legislative advocacy priority projects, bringing the total cost for the monument to $9.99 million, and to approve the grant extension and funding request passed unanimously.