Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Friday, December 24th, 2010
by Eric Busch, Mayor of El Segundo
This has been an interesting year for El Segundo. These are obviously tough economic times throughout the nation. The challenges the City of El Segundo is facing are being addressed in varying degrees by all cities in the United States, although we have fared better than many cities. So, this is a time of year to reflect and be thankful for the blessings in our lives. In that vein, let’s review the year as seen through El Segundo’s lens:
Our city saw improvements in our older facilities, including a new fire station, a community garden, and an improved softball facility. We also made plans for new facilities. Our schools began modernizing the high school auditorium and athletic facilities, the final piece to accomplish after improving all our classrooms. Our student athletes and their teams brought recognition to El Segundo in numerous CIF and other play-off appearances, including our water polo, volleyball, swimming, basketball, tennis and baseball teams of many different ages. However, we lost a local hero, John Stevenson, a record-breaking coach and teacher who helped many generations of boys become men, and in doing so changed a town.
In April, El Segundo held a council election, where we thanked former Mayor Kelly McDowell for his many years of service, welcomed council member Suzanne Fuentes, and appointed a new Mayor. The City also voted to index our business license tax, so this valuable source of funding will not continue to dwindle over time. And in November, the city voted down a business-proposed 1% utility tax increase and will likely vote down, in January according to early returns, the imposition of a fee for collecting trash.
Read the entire article at:
http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2010/12/24/el_segundo_news/news04.txt
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Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
State officials Friday granted a 30-year lease to Chevron Corp. to continue operating its oil tanker terminal off the El Segundo coastline despite vigorous opposition from environmental groups concerned about the risk of an oil spill.
The 2-1 vote by the California State Lands Commission will result in the oil company paying a base rent of $1.3 million a year to lease 221 acres of state-controlled tidelands for the terminal through 2040.
For nearly a century, oil tankers have docked about 1 1/2 miles off the shore of El Segundo to pump crude through underwater pipelines to the onshore refinery, one of the largest on the West Coast.
Read the entire article at:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/12/state-approves-30-year-lease-for-el-segundo-offshore-oil-tanker-terminal-.html
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Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
On November 2, 2010, an El Segundo Animal Control officer responded to a call regarding a found tortoise in the 800 block of Lomita. This tortoise, identified as an African Spurred Tortoise, appeared in good health and was taken to SPCA for safekeeping until the owner can be located.
The African Spurred Tortoise is not indigenous to this area and can be found in the Sahara Desert of Africa. It can grow to approximately 100 pounds. It is not an endangered species and does not require a state permit to possess. At this time, the owner has not been located. The El Segundo Police Department is soliciting any information that will assist in returning it to its rightful owner.
If there are any inquiries, please forward them to Sergeant Tony de la Rambelje at 310-524-2298.
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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 SegundoÄôs past and future financial status, El Segundo Director of Finance Deborah Cullen indicated that this year doesnÄôt look any brighter than last. Cullen, who presented the El Segundo City Council with the 2008-09 year-end results as well as this yearÄôs first-quarter review during the Feb. 16 City Council meeting, started the otherwise grim presentation listing the Äúchallenges and limitationsÄù facing the city.
ÄúThere is still double-digit unemployment coupled with low consumer spending,Äù Cullen noted. ÄúLow investment returns also affect the cityÄôs budget. With no new revenue sources, the city manager is looking at how to control spending.Äù
Cullen further explained that there are still cost drivers in place, which will continue to affect the cityÄôs finances, such as escalating employee retirement contributions driven by high salaries. ÄúThis year, the El Segundo City Council has dedicated $4.5 million for retired employees to cover retirement benefits,Äù 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 cityÄôs general fund.
ÄúWe ended the 2008-09 fiscal year with a $2.8 million deficit,Äù 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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