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. 4 - January 25, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals............................ 12,13
Obituaries.............................3
Pets......................................16
Police Briefs......................15
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports.................................5,6
Weekend
Forecast
Carolers Fill City Hall with Song
During last week’s City Council meeting, the Dickens Carolers (pictured above) sang a special happy birthday tune to El Segundo. The group was also in the house to accept the Grand Marshal’s Award
earned for its participation in last month’s Holiday Parade. Photo: Robert Cetl/El Segundo TV.
Four Candidates File for City Council
Seats; Fuentes and Dugan Opt Not to Run
By Brian Simon
The field is set for the April 10 municipal
election, as four candidates will vie for two
available seats on the El Segundo City Council.
Regardless of who emerges victorious, there will
be changes on the dais – as both incumbents,
Mayor Suzanne Fuentes and Councilmember
Mike Dugan, will not run again. Fuentes will
wrap up an eight-year tenure, the last four as
Mayor, while Dugan will leave the Council
after one term.
Asked about her decision, Fuentes explained,
“I didn’t intend to be a lifelong officeholder.
In the past eight years, I met my goals to
structurally balance the City’s budget, control
spending and increase new businesses and
revenue. I will next spend more time with
family and friends.”
In his choice not to seek reelection, Dugan
noted that he has accomplished most of what he
sought out to do and that the City is on a better
path than it was four years ago. “I would like
to thank those who placed their trust in me and
I hope that I have served them well,” he said.
While nine individuals pulled nomination
papers since the filing period began last month,
four ultimately returned them to the City Clerk’s
office by the 5 p.m. deadline on Jan. 17. The
candidates are Maria Barden, Lance Giroux,
Scot Nicol and Chris Pimentel.
A 23-year El Segundo resident, Barden is
married with two children and works as a health
administrative specialist at UCLA. She has been
president of her home owners association for
11 years, and a PTA Run 4 Education volunteer
for 10. She won the El Segundo Very Special
Person Award and PTA Honorary Member
Award. “I am running for City Council because
El Segundo School Board
Fetes Cross Country Teams
By Duane Plank
Nineteen El Segundo High School
cross country athletes and Coach Marcos
Bolanos were honored by the El Segundo
School Board Tuesday evening for their
recent accomplishments, which included
both teams winning Ocean League titles,
competing in the California Interscholastic
Federation (CIF) Finals, and garnering a
slot in the CIF State Championships that
took place in late November.
This was the first time that both the
boys and girls teams elevated to the
state finals in the same season, with the
boys returning from the competition after
finishing ninth in the meet, and the girls
placing seventh.
Said Bolanos: “This was truly an
amazing year for the program and school. It
was the first time in school history that
the boys team qualified for the state
championship race. Over the course of
the past six years, we have developed a
truly special program -- and for the kids
to realize so many goals this season,
culminating with state, was a magical
experience. They work so hard each
year, only taking four weeks off from
running, and really throw themselves
115 percent into this sport. I can’t even
begin to describe how proud I am of this
team. Both winning league, girls finishing
third in Southern Sections, guys fourth,
I am committed to El Segundo’s future,”
Barden wrote in her candidate statement. “My
husband and I raised our two daughters here
and I know what makes our city a special place
to live and raise a family.” Barden listed El
Segundo’s financial health as her top priority,
with goals to remain business-friendly, grow
the local economy, maintain a balanced budget,
address infrastructure needs, provide resources
to public safety departments to keep the community
safe, and improve youth programs and
senior services/quality of life. “I support the
development of integrated transportation systems
across our region designed to reduce traffic
congestion and minimize parking problems,”
she added. “In addition, I will fight to ensure
our community thrives while confronting the
challenges of zoning and air quality.”
Giroux, an El Segundo resident of 17 years,
is married with two young children and is the
vice president of sales for a local company.
He is the current El Segundo Little League
president (since 2013) and was president of
the Girls Softball board from 2013-’16. He
is also an active member of the El Segundo
Kiwanis Club. “I have found success in these
roles by carefully listening to the perspectives
of others, and then making decisions that reflect
diverse points of view,” he noted in his
candidate statement. Giroux feels that these
leadership positions, coupled with an extensive
background in domestic and international
business, have prepared him for the next step
in serving the community. “As a concerned
resident, homeowner and vice president of a
local company, I want to protect the values that
make our city the best place to build a family
and life together -- quality public services, strong
schools and a deep sense of community,” he
wrote. “…Let us preserve what we love about
this city, while searching for new and creative
ways to help us grow and prosper together.”
Friday See Election, page 4
Mostly
Sunny
63˚/48˚
Saturday
Mostly
Sunny
70˚/52˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
79˚/56˚
See School Board, page 12