The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 107, No. 3 - January 18, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals............................ 12,13
Letters...................................3
Pets......................................16
Police Reports...................15
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports.............................. 5,13
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
AM Clouds/
PM Sun
61˚/49˚
Saturday
Sunny
60˚/45˚
Sunday
Mostly
Sunny
61˚/47˚
El Segundo Fire Dept. Helps Out
After Santa Barbara Mudslides
As part of a regional support effort, members of the El Segundo Fire Department continued to search frantically for the survivors of the Santa Barbara County mudslides that occurred last week.
Photo Courtesy of ESFD.
Council Revisits Short-Term Rentals,
Park Vista Fixes and Golf Course RFP
By Brian Simon
During its first meeting of 2018, the El Segundo
City Council again addressed the issue of how
to regulate short-term rentals such as Airbnb.
A work group consisting of Planning, Finance
and Police department staff studied the matter
over the last two months and agreed it was
best to separate short-term rentals from what
are termed “party houses.” The latter category
stems from a particular home at 416 Virginia
Street that spurred numerous neighbor complaints
Wiseburn School Board Gets Updates on
Construction Projects, Governor’s Budget
By Duane Plank
During the first Wiseburn School Board
meeting of 2018, members wished the
assembled folks a happy new year and
blessed the near-completion of Phase I
of the mammoth Wiseburn High School
construction project. Board member Neil
Goldman, in his very brief report, intoned
“Happy New Year, Happy New Year, Happy
New Year! I’m done.” This pretty much
summed up the general comments, as the
members looked forward to resumption
of the 2017-18 school year, completion of
Phase I challenges, and work on the Phase
II projects -- including the aquatics center,
gymnasium and soccer field.
Prior to the meeting, Wiseburn Unified
School District Superintendent Tom
Johnstone noted financial challenges,
including stretching “professional development
dollars.” He mentioned a recent
collaboration with the Hermosa and El
Segundo districts to work together. “If you
pool your resources, the money goes a lot
further,” he said, as Wiseburn looks for
the most fiscally prudent way to address
skyrocketing employee pension costs.
Johnstone also spoke about the progress
made on the Phase II construction projects,
humorously noting, “Well, there is a pool
out there, all right,” as he alluded to the torrential
downpour that hit much of California
on Monday and Tuesday. Johnstone said
the rains set construction in the pool area
back “about a week.” He still hopes the pool
See Wiseburn, page 12
last year due to multiple loud gatherings
and related problems. Planning and Building
Safety Director Sam Lee reported that the
“bad behavior has decreased significantly” at
the site as of late, but he wasn’t sure if this
was due to publicity and potential City of El
Segundo action, or just the time of year – since
summer is traditionally the busy period for
short-term rentals.
A few residents weighed in on the topic at
the beginning of Tuesday’s meeting. Mona
Eisman worried about El Segundo becoming
the “only South Bay city that allows shortterm
rentals” and the prospect of losing “the
feeling of community” as a result. She also
spoke of corporations coming to town and
buying up properties for the express purpose of
establishing short-term rentals. Gary Schmunk
expressed concern about the potential transient
occupancy tax as well as ability to properly
enforce/control whether the rentals are banned
or allowed. Gail Church noted that existing
codes, which already permit a homeowner to
rent out a couple of rooms without additional
regulations, should stay put to “allow empty
nesters with spare bedrooms to supplement
their incomes.” She said she does not want El
Segundo to become the first South Bay city
to turn accessory dwelling units into shortterm
rentals.
Lee indicated that staff will return to the
Council in the coming months with a new
“party house ordinance” to add more teeth
to existing codes. A public hearing will also
take place. “We don’t have all the answers to
this complicated matter at this time,” he said
of short-term rentals.
Also on Tuesday, the Council looked at options
to fund long-term capital projects at the
Park Vista senior complex. City Attorney Mark
Hensley explained that work at the property
must comply with state-mandated prevailing
wage requirements and the public contracting
process. This leads to much higher costs for
repairs. The only way around it, he said, is to
See City Council, page 12