Torrance is asking residents to help decide how the city should further honor Ted T. Tanouye, a Torrance native and World War II soldier who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

The first option would rename Columbia Park as Ted T. Tanouye Park. City staff estimate that changing signs and related materials could cost between $10,000 and $30,000.

A second, substantially larger proposal would create a separate Ted T. Tanouye Memorial Park near Torrance High School by combining two triangular parcels along Carson Street.

That option could also rename part of El Prado Avenue as Ted T. Tanouye Memorial Drive, rename a section of Manuel Avenue as Go for Broke Way and add a new monument honoring the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Its estimated cost ranges from $850,000 to $1.5 million, depending partly on the final monument design.

The third option would leave Columbia Park and the area surrounding the existing Tanouye memorial unchanged.

Tanouye graduated from Torrance High School in 1938 and served in the highly decorated 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. He died from combat wounds in 1944. His Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor in 2000.

The discussion also intersects with Columbia Park’s own history. CBS donated the original 17.2 acres to Torrance in 1968, and the park will eventually house a major memorial listing Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II.

Residents can review the proposals, learn about Tanouye’s life and submit feedback through the city’s public-engagement page.

Review the Columbia Park renaming options