Page 4 January 20, 2022 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Police Reports
Monday, January 10th
A vandalism report was taken at 1014 hours
from the 800 block of Eucalyptus Drive.
Unknown suspect(s) damaged the victim’s
residence wooden gate and attempted to pry
the gate open.
Two female adults were arrested at 1224
hours from the 700 block of South Pacific
Coast Highway for burglary of fragrances
from a retail store. One female was additionally
charged on an outstanding OCSD
felony warrant.
A robbery (strong arm) report was taken at
1557 hours from Maple Avenue and Pacific
Coast Highway. An unknown suspect forcefully
tugged at the victim for a shopping cart
and left the location with property.
One male adult was arrested and released
in the field at 1716 hours from the 700 block
of South Pacific Coast Highway with a citation
for petty theft.
A shoplifting report was taken at 1738
hours from the 700 block of South Pacific
Coast Highway
An online vandalism report was taken at
1953 hours that occurred from the 500 block
of West Holly Avenue, unknown suspect(s)
damaged the victims vehicle key lock.
A petty theft was taken at 1943 hours
from the 700 block of West Imperial Avenue.
Unknown suspect(s) stole a package from
the victim’s porch.
A vehicle burglary report was taken at
1944 hours from the 2200 block of East
Park Place. Unknown suspect(s) broke the
victim’s vehicle window to gain entry and
miscellaneous personal property was taken.
An online vehicle burglary report was taken
at 2256 hours that occurred in the 2200 block
of East Park place. Unknown suspect(s) broke
the victim’s vehicle window to gain entry and
miscellaneous personal property was taken.
Tuesday, January 11th
A burglary (commercial) report was taken
at 1022 hours from the 800 block of South
Pacific Coast Highway. Unknown suspect(s)
entered the business and took several clothing
items.
A petty theft report was taken at 1220
hours from the 300 block of Kansas Street.
Unknown suspect(s) took a package from
the victim’s porch.
A burglary (vehicle) report was taken at
1309 hours from the 700 block of South
Allied Way. Unknown suspect(s) broke
into the vehicle and took the victim’s
property.
See Police, page 13
Your Neighborhood Therapist
Dear Neighborhood Therapist,
My adolescent child will not look up from
his phone. He seems to either texting, on
twitter or playing a game 59 minutes out of
every waking hour. I try to speak to him and
he dismisses me or walks away, or asks me
to wait a few minutes until he finds a break
in the game or finishes his text. He only takes
breaks when I force him to, and that seems to
get harder as he gets older. He is doing fine
in school and he has nice friends, but I worry
that he’s going to spend his whole life buried
in a screen. Is this a problem?
– Too Much Screen Time, El Segundo
Dear Screen Time,
We’re going to adapt. Our necks will start to
naturally bend down to see our phones better.
Our eyes will adjust to having light shined
directly into them. Our bodies will require less
exercise and running around, and our brains
will learn to search for information from the
nearest electronic device, instead of needing
to store it somewhere among the neurons. It
will be great to have everything we want at
our fingertips all the time.
Or.
Screens will ruin our lives. We’ll end up
unable to sleep, unable to think, unable to
find our next door without the help of our
electronic buddies. Kids will never learn to
talk to each other, or relate to anyone else.
We will have a generation, or generations, of
virtual zombies. They will grow up terrified of
the outside world, will never learn to wait for
anything, and won’t be able to have an actual
conversation if their phone is dead.
Those are extremes, of course. The reality
is almost certainly somewhere in between. We
have wholeheartedly adopted new technologies
and ways of being that are going to have effects
on us. We just don’t know what they are yet.
But we can decide what we value and what
we intend. And we can act on those values
and intentions.
My hope Is that 2022 is the year that we
officially decide to reclaim our lives from
screens, and more specifically social media
and our “addiction” to our phones. Does this
mean getting rid of them completely? Of course
not. (They have flashlights, for goodness’ sake.
Who would want to get rid of a flashlight?)
But can we be more intentional about how we
use our devices? Can we decide what role we
want them to play in our lives, instead allowing
algorithms designed to hold our mindless
attention to do their work on us? Of course,
we can. But we have to make those decisions.
So, is it a problem? Yes, but no more and no
less than what you as a parent define (to the
best of your abilities) what he is losing by
spending so much time on his phone.
Important: it’s not just kids. Sure, young
minds may be more easily influenced, but
grown-up minds are susceptible, too.
I’m certainly no exception. There was a
point in my life when I could stand in line
at the grocery store and look at the surroundings
without feeling compelled to check my
phone. Perhaps I’d strike up a conversation.
It’s much easier to do when everyone else
isn’t also checking their phone. There was
also a time where I was comfortable waiting
to find out the answer to a question instead of
googling it right away. Maybe I would have
gone to a book and looked it up, and in the
process stumbled across something else that
was fascinating.
Sure, we gain a lot from our connectivity.
But we need to ask what we’ve lost, and if
it’s worth it.
This conversation is the tip of a much bigger
iceberg, of course. Some will argue that it’s
inevitable. Some will argue that this is “the
way we do things now.” Maybe, but human
societies and behavior can change. I’m old
enough to remember when airplanes had a
smoking section.
Please write to tom@tomandrecounseling.
com or text to 310.776.5299 with questions
about handling what is affecting your life,
your family, the community or the world.
Tom Andre is a Licensed Marriage & Family
Therapist (LMFT119254). The information
in this column is for educational purposes
only and nothing herein should be construed
as professional advice or the formation of a
therapeutic relationship. •
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The truth is, anyone can get hit with a
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City Council from page 3
Avenue, just short of East Mariposa Avenue
by one block. It would impact the 400 block
of Kansas Street, allow for curbside parking at
Kansas Park, put permit parking on the south
side of Holly Street and the west side of the
300 block of Kansas Street.
During the hearing, Grand Tropez residents
asked the council to allow them access to the
preferential parking zone (it was stated that
Grand Tropez residents have driveways, garages,
and guest parking spaces and that garages are
sometimes used for storage or offices instead
of for parking) while others in the proposed
preferential parking zone wanted some sort of
overnight regulation or zoning to keep people
from congregating on their street and leaving
beer cans, trash, and from awakening their
children. Council members discussed whether
or not granting such a zone would simply
move parking to other nearby blocks, therefore
simply pushing the problem elsewhere while
not solving it and potentially bringing another
petition for a preferential parking zone from
a new group of residents. It was also stated
that the city has no ability to make residents
use their garages for parking. The staff report
also noted that the El Segundo Police Department
does not have the resources to monitor
any overnight parking restrictions that might
be put in place. ESPD favors the daytime
preferential parking zone “because they have
limited enforcement resources for preferential
parking programs and could readily enforce a
program that has limited hours.”
Council also discussed taking a “comprehensive
citywide approach” to parking issues.
However, City Manager Scott Micknick said
that would take “at least a year,” if not longer.
Mayor Drew Boyles suggested making the
Preferential Parking Zone 2 a pilot program
that would be revisited at a designated time.
Public Works Director Sassoon told the council
that setting up the program “will take a few
months” due to paperwork and securing decals.
When a six-month pilot was suggested, he
recommended a minimum of nine months, with
a year being even better. Council and city staff
also said the pilot program would need criteria
for determining how successful it is, and City
Attorney Mark Hensley recommended that the
council provide city staff with 60-90 days to
return to council with criteria. City Manager
Mitnick also said that city staff could work with
any neighborhood experiencing “tremendous
spillover” due to the pilot parking program.
With council member Scot Nicol removing
himself from the conversation due to conflicts,
city council approved staff returning in 60-90
days with criteria for the pilot Preferential
Parking Program Zone 2.
In other news, council heard from newly
promoted Police Chief Jaime Bermudez, who
began his law enforcement career when he was
18 and has been with ESPD for 30 years; El
Segundo Chamber of Commerce President
Marcia Hanson who announced winning entries
from the 57th Annual Holiday Parade held in
early December; Kenneth Chancey of the Equity,
Diversity, and Inclusion Committee, who
reported the findings of a demographic review of
the city’s workforce (city leadership, non-sworn
personnel, and police and fire department sworn
personnel) and resident population, its recommendations
and conclusion and next steps; Eric
Chan, Los Angeles Clippers Chief Financial
Officer and President of the 9-month-old El
Segundo Economic Development Corporation,
comprised of top executives from businesses
in the city, including Mattel, Beyond Meat,
Boeing, Techstyle, Hackman Capital, L’Oreal,
Chevron, Los Angeles Times and Nantworks,
Raytheon Space, Aerospace Corporation, and
Continental Development Corporation, reported
on the non-profit’s “priority initiatives,” which
revolve around attracting and retaining top
employees, including creating a “greenway”
walking path on Aviation Boulevard and perhaps
different types of housing more affordable to
young professionals just starting out.
City Manager Mitnick’s move to “align”
city committees and commissions with the
city’s organization chart received a 5-0 vote
for examining and redetermining bylaws and
work plans. Council members Nicol and
Carol Pirtzek did not agree with other aspects
voted on, including discontinuing the Capital
Improvement Program Advisory Committee,
and a lengthy discussion took place about
the Environmental Committee becoming the
Public Works Committee. During public comment,
resident Eric Bahor proposed a “Plunge
Alternate Use Project” of a “standing wave
type facility” and his desire to build it in El
Segundo. Public Works Director Sassoon said
$3.8 million had been paid to 1,952 residents
due to the Hyperion Plant emergency of July
2021 as of January 13th for a total of 90%
processed claims. The delivery of the two
mobile trailers that will be used to monitor
the air quality along the fence line bordering
the city has been delayed from January
to either late February or early March. On
January 5 and 6, respectively, South Coast
Air Quality Management District received six
and eighteen odor complaints. Sassoon said
the plant’s clarifiers were not working at the
time. Residents are encouraged to sign up
to attend the January 20th Hyperion Citizen
Forum. The city website has more information
and signup details for the online meeting. •