Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Friday, June 25th, 2010
And Gehry had even designed a new structure for the site - a wooden trellis due for completion in 2009 which bore a striking resemblance to Gehry’s Serpentine Pavilion design and would have connected the two buildings he was due to occupy.
Source: Courtesy NSB Associates
Gehry Partners’ new offices
But now the ever vigilant real estate blogging behemoth Curbed has revealed that the plans have been scrapped, although remodelling work on the buildings has gone ahead regardless.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/el-segundo-loses-frank-gehry/5001530.blog
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Friday, June 11th, 2010
An odor that wafted over El Segundo on Wednesday most likely was caused by a natural ocean condition, a Fire Department spokesman said Thursday.
The El Segundo Fire Department received many complaints about a natural gas odor between 1:30 and 2 p.m., said Steve Tsumura, El Segundo’s environmental-safety manager.
Complaints were called in from the 100 block of Imperial Highway to the 500 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, The odor was particularly strong around Center Street School.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_15270722?source=rss
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Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
The suspected El Segundo flasher pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 15 charges, most of which allege he exposed himself to teenage girls.
Jeffrey Freeman, 39, of Westchester was charged last week with 10 misdemeanor counts of child annoyance or molestation for incidents involving 16 teenage girls during a 14-month period.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_15111655?source=rss
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Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
El Segundo elects Fisher, Fuentes; passes Measures M, N - The Daily Breeze: “El Segundo Councilman Bill Fisher and Planning Commissioner Suzanne Fuentes landed on top Tuesday in a three-way race for two City Council seats.
Fisher, who was appointed to his post four years ago, won his second term on the five-member council with 40.1 percent of the vote, according to final, unofficial returns.
Fuentes followed with 32.4 percent, beating 33-year-old Scott Houston, a customer service manager who serves on the city’s Capital Improvement Program Advisory Committee. Houston came in third with 27.5 percent of the vote with all three precincts reporting and absentee ballots counted.
Fisher - reached Tuesday night at home, where he was awaiting the results with his family - thanked his supporters and said he was eager to move forward.
‘We have a lot of challenges, and I think we’re going to come through this economic downturn just fine, but it’s time to get back to work,’ said the 52-year-old councilman, who owns a local engineering firm.
Fuentes, a lifelong city resident who was making her first run for office, was elated with the results.
‘I’m really appreciative of the voters’ confidence in me,’ said Fuentes, 52, a quality assurance manager for an aerospace company. ‘And I’m so looking forward to working with my council colleagues.’
Fuentes replaces Kelly McDowell, who announced in December that he would not seek a fourth term on the council.
“
(Via .)
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Friday, February 26th, 2010
by Jennifer Evans
In reviewing El Segundo’s past and future financial status, El Segundo Director of Finance Deborah Cullen indicated that this year doesn’t look any brighter than last. Cullen, who presented the El Segundo City Council with the 2008-09 year-end results as well as this year’s first-quarter review during the Feb. 16 City Council meeting, started the otherwise grim presentation listing the “challenges and limitations” facing the city.
“There is still double-digit unemployment coupled with low consumer spending,” Cullen noted. “Low investment returns also affect the city’s budget. With no new revenue sources, the city manager is looking at how to control spending.”
Cullen further explained that there are still cost drivers in place, which will continue to affect the city’s finances, such as escalating employee retirement contributions driven by high salaries. “This year, the El Segundo City Council has dedicated $4.5 million for retired employees to cover retirement benefits,” Cullen said, adding that last year it was $4.3 million.
Major revenue sources for the city include property tax, sales tax and electric utility users tax. Police and fire continue to be the highest expenditure to the city, taking up 60 percent of the city’s general fund.
“We ended the 2008-09 fiscal year with a $2.8 million deficit,” Cullen said during her report.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2010/02/24/el_segundo_news/news19.txt
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Monday, January 25th, 2010
The car above ran into a parked car in the 300 block of West Grand Ave. about 1:00pm on Monday afternoon. No one was hurt and everyone walked away. The Eastbound lanes of Grand Ave. were closed for almost an hour while the vehicles were removed.
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Monday, January 25th, 2010
There was a hard fought political battle in El Segundo a few years ago over turning El Segundo Beach into a dog beach. The opposition were concerned about dog feces mixing with the sand and causing an unsanitary situation.
The people in favor argued that dog owners were responsible and would clean up after their dogs. Everyone agreed that dogs are great and they are not to blame for anything that their owners do.
This afternoon, this man walked his dog out onto the beach, where the dog excreted a fece into the sand. The owner then walked over and covered the fece up, so it was not visible.
When confronted with concerns about people walking right there on the sand, where the dog fece was, he said “It won’t be there by then.” When asked to clean it up, he refused.
He then got into his light gray, late model, GMC Tahoe Denali with the license plate “W PARKER” and drove away, leaving the dog fece as a gift for the next person.
If you own a dog, please remember that it is illegal to allow the dog onto the sand in any beach in the entire Santa Monica bay.
Please be a responsible dog owner and pick out after your dog, so we don’t have to walk in it.
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Sunday, January 24th, 2010
Friends and family members took turns telling stories and anecdotes about John Stevenson, the El Segundo High School baseball coach who died earlier this month, at a memorial service Saturday.
They talked about his loyalty, his tenacity, his talent for plotting strategies and his notoriety behind the wheel of a car. His son, Eric, held back tears when he talked about the love he felt for his father and the tender moments the two of them shared over the years.
But perhaps the real story was in the audience seated in the auditorium at El Segundo High School, where hundreds of former students and players gathered to say one last farewell to Stevenson, the winningest coach in California history. Many wore blue baseball caps or jerseys of the Eagles, the team he led for so many years.
They were fresh-faced college students in their 20s and gray-haired retirees in their 60s. And they all owed a debt to Stevenson, who died of a heart attack Jan. 11. He was 76.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_14257238
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Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
John Stevenson, the legendary head baseball coach at El Segundo High School and the winningest coach in California history, died Monday evening of a possible heart attack. He was 76.
Born in October 1933, the lifelong South Bay resident attended and played baseball at Redondo Union High School, El Camino College and UCLA.
He began his coaching career at El Segundo as a 26-year-old in 1960. During his 50-year coaching tenure with the Eagles - the longest in South Bay history - he compiled a record of 1,059-419 and led his teams to seven CIF championships.
A public memorial service is planned for Jan. 23 in the El Segundo High School auditorium.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14173885
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Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
A man who has repeatedly exposed himself to girls in El Segundo has struck for a ninth time, police said Tuesday.
The latest incident occurred Saturday as three girls walked along the 600 block of Eucalyptus Avenue in El Segundo, police Lt. Brian Evanski said.
The man, who was standing near his car parked in an alley west of the street, had his shorts pulled down when the victims walked by about 5 p.m. They ran as he reached into his underwear.
“We still believe this is the same person,” Evanski said. “It’s been four months since our last incident.”
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14128496
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Friday, December 25th, 2009
El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell, who has served the small but determined coastal city for more than a decade, announced this week he will not seek re-election next year
McDowell, first elected to the City Council in 1998, assumed the mayor’s post at a time when the town of 17,000 was battling to keep the Los Angeles Air Force Base from closing and gearing up for a high-stakes fight over Los Angeles International Airport modernization plans.
“After more than 11 years serving my city and the region and accomplishing most of what I set out to do, it’s time for me to go in a new direction,” McDowell said in a statement.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_14059371
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Friday, December 25th, 2009
Turning to business, our city had a good year and our residential unemployment rate stayed below 6 percent, a boom-time number by most measures. El Segundo’s total payroll was the region’s highest at $5.67 billion for the year.
Not just that, the average wage-earner in El Segundo made more than $82,000 in 2009 - the most in the South Bay and nearly $33,000 more than the No. 2 city.
Our office vacancy rate, which stood at about 20 percent not so long ago, fell to 7 percent this year. There is almost no industrial space in our city available for lease. If you’re in the market, call your broker today.
Travel down El Segundo Boulevard and you’ll see the new pedestrian bridge between L.A. Air Force Base and the Aerospace Corp. between the 405 freeway and Aviation Boulevard. It makes a great gateway to our town and saves tons of time for workers going between the two facilities.
Our city’s creative sector got some big boosts this past year. Rhythm & Hues, an Academy Award winner, is coming to town. DirecTV is still No. 1 in satellite television and a huge contributor to El Segundo revenues. Not to mention, Mattel’s Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday this year (who would have guessed?).
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2009/12/24/el_segundo_news/news04.txt
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Friday, December 25th, 2009
After more than 20 years in the works, El Segundo residents and city officials enthusiastically welcomed the completion of a new Fire Station No. 2.
Complete with a shiny new fire pole and flat-screen TVs, El Segundo Fire Station No. 2 is bigger, better and greener than its previous building, which was constructed in the mid-1950s.
City Councilman Carl Jacobson said during the opening-day ceremony last Wednesday, Dec. 16, that he remembers when he first took office in 1983 they were talking about the need for a new Fire Station No. 2.
For several years, it had been understood that Fire Station No. 2 was seismically at risk and did not have the proper facilities for mixed-gender employees. According to the renderings, the new fire station is 13,600 square feet, which is more than twice the size of the previous station, which is 5,800 square feet.
The new fire station at Mariposa and Nash. (photo by Chris Miller)
“It is magnificent,” El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell said of the new station. “It has a lot more room for the firefighters and the equipment, it can easily house a dozen firefighters.”
The $7.5 million station is located at the corner of Mariposa Avenue and Nash Street. The piece of property where it is housed was donated to the city two years ago from Thomas Properties, the developers of Plaza El Segundo. The money for the station was taken from the Capital Improvement Budget, which has been budgeting funds for the Fire Station since 1998. The old station is located at El Segundo Boulevard and Nash Street and according to McDowell, the station’s property will be sold or leased off and its profits will be used to offset construction costs for the facility’s replacement.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2009/12/24/el_segundo_news/news15.txt
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Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
by Jennifer Evans
Moving at doggy-paddle speed rather than a freestyle sprint, El Segundo’s plan for a new pool has been slow going, but with everyone in agreement that a new aquatic facility is needed, the community is looking at plans once again.
With three locations on the table, El Segundo Parks and Recreation Director Bob Cummings said that the plans presented at the Sept. 22 El Segundo School Board meeting offer up ideas for what the facility could be, but are not final designs. Cummings is looking for public input.
“These plans are just to show what could be there at these three possible locations,” Cummings said.
During the presentation, representatives from Rossetti Architects, who have designed several pools in the South Bay and Los Angeles area including the pool at Palos Verdes High School, showed the School Board three possible locations of where a new pool could be designed: Hilltop Park; 530 Imperial, near Sheldon Street; and at the city’s current pool location, The Plunge.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2009/10/02/el_segundo_news/news04.txt
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Friday, August 21st, 2009
by Jennifer Evans
With an additional $1 million added to the already $5.6 million deficit, the El Segundo City Council, during the Aug. 18 City Council meeting, agreed to receive and file the preliminary budget, which included additional cuts made to the El Segundo Fire Department’s overtime budget.
“We are not putting the city at danger with these cuts,” El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell said. “We are not proposing to cut anyone’s salary or lay anyone off in the department. We are just trying to cut back on overtime, because as it is, it is one of the city’s biggest expenditures.”
With a staff of 19 firefighters on duty at all times and an average salary of $100,000, the El Segundo Fire Department is one of the most expensive fire departments in the South Bay. The staff is double that of Manhattan Beach, which has a staff of nine firefighters on duty at one time and more than triple of that of Hermosa Beach, which has a staff of six at any given time.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2009/08/21/el_segundo_news/news04.txt
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Friday, August 21st, 2009
by Jennifer Evans
Hundreds of hot rods and classic antique cars will fill El Segundo’s downtown this Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the city’s 12th annual Car Show sponsored by the El Segundo Police Officer’s Association, which raises money for community youth activities.
With expected sunny skies and a cool ocean breeze, visitors at the car show can enjoy a day of free entertainment while perusing the selection of show cars ranging from Model T’s to custom classics on display between the 100 and 300 blocks of Main Street.
“I think we probably have the best cars represented of any car show and to top it off, this is a beautiful place to be. The weather should be nice and we have great restaurants and great shopping,” El Segundo Police Sgt. Dean Howard, who is helping to organize this year’s event, said. “It’s just a good local gathering of people and a good opportunity for people to bring their families down for a nice event.”
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2009/08/21/el_segundo_news/news16.txt
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Monday, June 1st, 2009
by Andrea Woodhouse
A robust business core has helped El Segundo largely escape the region’s economic woes, but continued prosperity requires a partnership among key community stakeholders, the mayor said in his State of the City address Wednesday.
“That means that we all need to work together - whether in business, government or the nonprofit sector - to keep our community thriving as a whole in the region,” Mayor Kelly McDowell told a packed audience over lunch at the Hacienda Hotel.
In his annual address, McDowell struck a cautiously optimistic tone, praising El Segundo’s self-reliance and ticking off a list of recent corporate achievements, as well as new companies set to join the city’s unique mix of businesses.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2009/05/31/el_segundo_news/news04.txt
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Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
By Andrea Woodhouse Staff Writer
The main hall at El Segundo High was a location for the 90210 TV show. The school has used all of its filming days and is asking the City Council for more.
El Segundo’s picturesque high school wants more time in the spotlight this year.
In hopes of generating more revenue, leaders of the cash-strapped school district have asked the city to ease restrictions on the number of days that the stately campus can act as a location for television and movie shoots.
“To have dollars flow into the high school from these film crews that have been such a windfall to our school district, especially in this time of harsh budget deficits, would be a bright ray of light on the horizon,” Superintendent Geoff Yantz wrote in a letter to the City Council last week.
Thanks to its lush front lawn, brick facade and elegant archways, the Main Street campus - a backdrop in recent television programs like “90210″ and films such as “Superbad” - has hit its city-imposed cap on shooting days for the year in less than six months.
Yantz has asked for 10 extra filming days - a 50 percent increase over the 20 days per 12-month period allotted for any location in town.
That rule comes under recently revised filming regulations designed largely to protect residents from Hollywood’s noise and traffic impacts.
Filming the “squeakuel” to a live-action version of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” has left the campus with no more filming days until the 12-month period begins again in November, said Steve Jones, manager of the city’s business services division.
In recent years, filming has brought in about $150,000 a year for the high school - a day of filming generates $6,000, and set-up days $3,000, Yantz said.
And an extra 10 days represents $50,000 to $80,000 in additional revenue, he said.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_12283267?source=rss
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Sunday, April 19th, 2009
By Larry Altman
Cop hurt in movie theater shooting is in a TV-show contest.
An El Segundo police officer critically wounded during a gun battle with a gang member in a crowded movie theater lobby is one of eight finalists for the 2009 America’s Most Wanted All-Star.
Lt. Ray Garcia, who has returned to duty but continues to face procedures and surgeries to repair his injuries, could win a $10,000 prize and trip to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., on May 16.
A nationwide Internet vote has begun to determine the winner. Garcia was in the top three Thursday.
Anyone can vote, once a day, every day until May 4 at the television crime show’s Web site, www.amw.com, or by text message using Sprint phones.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_12170419?source=rss
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Sunday, April 19th, 2009
By Larry Altman Staff Writer
El Segundo
A decline in burglaries and auto thefts resulted in a nearly 4 percent crime drop in El Segundo.
Police Chief Dave Cummings said the rise in robberies - from 17 to 22 - was attributable to street crimes where robbers took cellular phones or other small electronic devices.
The street crimes were all near the skateboard park, and involved youths. A gun was not used in any of the crimes.
“The one bright side of that is that they were all intimidation-type robberies,” Cummings said. “Nobody was injured.”
Burglars continue to target cars where people leave valuables on their seats in plain sight, but an education campaign has resulted in a decline, Cummings said.
Officers left notes on people’s vehicles when they noticed valuables on the seat.
“Overall, I’m pleased,” Cummings said. “I don’t think it’s realistic that police efforts can push crime much lower than it is now.”
Gardena
Read the entire article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_12176171?source=rss
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