What does Kim Turner like to do in her free time?

Kim Turner

First, her professional life: Kim Turner is the Transit Director of Torrance Transit in Torrance, Calif. She has nearly 40 years of experience in the transportation industry. In 2020, Torrance Transit won the California Transit Association (CTA) Small Operator of the Year Award. The CTA also honored the agency in 2023 with the Transit Innovation Award for its new regional transit center, which serves as a multi-modal transportation hub for the South Bay region of Los Angeles County. Turner received her bachelor's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California.

What do you like best about your current city of residence?

I love L.A.! I was born and raised here. My family moved here from Mississippi in 1957 and we never left. L.A. is known for its beaches, mountains and various tourist attractions. There is always something to do, see or experience. I enjoy attending sporting events here. I am a fan of the L.A. Clippers, L.A. Dodgers and L.A. Rams.

What do you enjoy about attending sporting events?

As a former track and field athlete, competition is in my blood. Everyone who knows me knows that I love to win. Since hanging up my spikes many years ago, I enjoy watching other athletes compete in various sports.

Kim is a die-hard L.A. Clippers fan and season ticket holder, which allows her to rub elbows with players such as Amir Coffey.

Favorite places to travel?

In the past, I would book at least four vacation trips a year with my traveling buddies. There would be 10 to 20 of us on the trip, depending on work schedules. We've traveled to places all over the world. However, the places I enjoyed the most were in the Caribbean islands. We've traveled to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Costa Rica. When I am there, it is truly a getaway because I don’t receive any phone calls.

Favorite food?

I love soul food. It is true comfort food as it reminds me of the good times when our families got together to enjoy grandma’s cooking on the weekends. Such a great tradition. Recipes have been passed down through many generations. Now my daughter and I cook together just like my grandma and my mother.

Favorite current TV shows?

Well, I love to laugh. My favorite TV shows are comedy sitcoms from the 1990s, like "Living Single," "The Jamie Foxx Show" and "Martin." I can watch Martin Lawrence all day. He is so silly.

If you had to read one book multiple times, what would it be?

The Bible.

Favorite phone app?

Google Maps. It has been a lifesaver as it helps me to make sure I get to my meetings and appointments on time. The traffic in L.A. can be so unpredictable. I need to know just how long it will take to get to my destination so that I can plan my departure time. It also helps me find great restaurants and places to visit.

Kim's twice-daily walks with her dog, Bentley, reduce her stress levels.

Favorite ways to stay active?

I love dancing, roller skating and walking my dog, Bentley, twice a day. Because I was a primary caregiver for two of my family members for the past five-plus years, I had to cut down on the dancing and roller skating. However, Bentley refuses to allow me to cut back on his daily walks. So it’s usually a 30-minute walk in the early morning before work and a late-night 20-minute walk when I return home. Walking him is truly a stress reliever, especially if I've had a long day.

Favorite guilty pleasure?

Eating peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream. It is my favorite dessert. My mom would make peach cobblers and cakes every week with her special Sunday dinner. The cakes were great, but I loved her peach cobbler. I have the recipe, too, but I only bake my mom’s peach cobbler when I cook for my entire family. That’s usually on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. If I cook a great meal, I have to have a great dessert. It’s our family tradition.

Can you tell us about a recent ride you took on public transit?

At Torrance Transit, all managers and executive staff are required to conduct monthly line rides with our bus operators. My most recent ride was in the late evening. I wanted to observe the ridership on one of our newest routes, Line 10 X, which provides service to the Inglewood Entertainment District, which includes the Hollywood Park Casino, the SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum and the newly constructed Intuit Dome, home of the L.A. Clippers. There were five passengers at the first stop. The operator was very professional in handling her customers and their attempt to evade the fare as they were new to the area. After that ride, I requested that the fare amount be placed on the head-sign. This helped eliminate customer confusion and helped reduce operator interactions with requests to evade the fare.

Visiting the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during an APTA conference.

What would surprise people to learn about you?

I was a world-class sprinter, having competed for the U.S. many times in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. I competed in college at the University of Southern California as well as on several USA national teams, competing against various countries, including Russia, Japan, and Canada. During my track career, I developed awesome friendships and a lifetime of wonderful experiences. I have friends all over the world, many of whom I am still in contact with and speak with on a regular basis.

How did you get involved in sprinting?

At an early age, I was very active and was a very fast runner. I could outrun any boy or girl in my neighborhood. The boys use to challenge me and I would beat them every time. So winning was easy for me. As I began to compete in actual track meets, I had developed a love for winning races and collecting trophies. One of the takeaways from my track career would be, you can do anything you put your mind to. My motto is and has always been, with sincere dedication, determination and discipline, you can achieve anything. And I live by that today.

What do you think you would be doing, if you didn't work in public transportation?

I would probably work in the hospital administration field. That was my goal in college and I actually worked with a hospital administrator for two years as a paid intern. The administrator also owned a critical care nursing registry, which I managed for her as well. I enjoyed working with hospitals in Los Angeles County to ensure they had adequate staffing each day.

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