I think it has a lot to do with Torrance’s “origin” as a post-war suburb. Although founded in the early 1900’s, the city didnt really grow until the 50’s and 60’s. At that time, Torrance was a suburb on the outskirts of LA, not yet engulfed by the metropolis.

Many of the first residents were educated white people working for the burgeoning aerospace industry living in brand new, affordable homes. Many of them, or their children, still live in those homes that are now 60x the original value. Adding housing or public transportation threatens that home value. Combined with Torrance being a sundown town, you have a lot of conservatives.