Page 14 March 17, 2016 EL SEGUNDO HERALD City Council from front page Google from page 6 detected sandbags near a storm drain blocking its path. The Google car stopped, allowed some other drivers to pass, then angled back toward the center of the wide right lane at 2 mph when it sideswiped the city bus going 15 mph, the report describes. None of the bus passengers was injured, and a videotape released last week by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency backs up Google’s claim it was a minor incident. Passengers appear surprised when the driver asks them to step off the bus right after the incident. The Google engineer in the car at the time said that he also expected the bus driver to slow down and let the Google car back to the center of the lane. The videotape showed extensive damage done to the driver’s side of the autonomous vehicle, a Lexus sport utility vehicle. Google has 14 of the self-driving Lexus SUVs in Mountain View. Eight are in Austin, Texas, and one car is testing in Kirkland, Wash. “Our car had detected the approaching bus, but predicted that it would yield to us because we were ahead of it,” according to the February Google Self-Driving Car Project report. The engineers called it an everyday type of misunderstanding between human drivers. “This is a classic example of the negotiation that’s a normal part of driving -- we’re all trying to predict each other’s movements. In this case, we clearly bear some responsibility, because if our car hadn’t moved there wouldn’t have been a collision. That said, our test driver believed the bus was going to slow or stop to allow us to merge into the traffic, and that there would be sufficient space to do that.” So far, the self-driving car project is a Northern California experiment. Critics of the self-driving car project think the state government and Bay area police should investigate each crash rather than take Google’s explanation at face value. Google says its cars have been hit nearly a dozen times since street testing began up north almost two years ago, and that other drivers were at fault each time. The February bus incident is the first time that Google took responsibility for the traffic collision. The federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration told the Herald that the need to track collisions isn’t there because of the limited testing of robot-controlled cars. Spokesperson Derrell Lyles told the Herald the NHTSA is taking a watch-and-see approach to regulating Google’s project in the early phase. “They are not being driven by the general public. NHTSA remains in close communication with the leading developers of self-driving vehicles regarding the testing of these vehicles. Given this very limited exposure and the controlled nature of the testing, there is no need for a formal system for tracking crashes involving self-driving vehicles at this time,” Lyles wrote in an email. Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog isn’t so trusting of Mountain View-based Google, which is best known for its web search engine and online tools for analyzing web traffic. The group issued a demand on March 9 that Google release its videotape of its robotic car crashing into the transit bus, now that the bus authority released its video of the incident. “Google undoubtedly has its own — and probably better — video showing how its self-driving robot car crashed into a bus,” said Director John M. Simpson with Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project Director. “Google needs to come clean and release their video, as well as all recorded technical details related to the crash.” The transit company’s video can be viewed at http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/ 2016/03/09/81526496/ Consumer Watchdog also renewed its call to the California DMV to amend its regulations and require that police investigate all self-driving robot car crashes and that video and technical details of the incidents be made public. The DMV earlier this year released the nation’s first proposed rules for the public use of self-driving vehicles. California’s rules are expected to provide a framework for other states and for the federal government to follow as they consider their own policies for self-driving cars. The proposed rules insist that a licensed driver be present who can take over the controls in an emergency. Self-driving cars must have a steering wheel, brake and gas pedal. The department also says that in the event of a collision, the autonomous vehicle’s driver would be considered at fault. The DMV requirement that autonomous cars have manual controls guards against a software hack, and would allow the passive driver to switch the vehicle into a manual mode so the controls aren’t hijacked. The Google car that sideswiped the metro bus had manual override controls, but it wouldn’t have mattered. “Our test driver, who had been watching the bus in the mirror, also expected the bus to slow or stop,” the Google project report said. “And we can imagine the bus driver assumed we were going to stay put.” Google engineers ran simulation tests after the bus crash along El Camino Real in Mountain View and said they refined the street-navigation software. Their cars will “more deeply understand” that buses and large vehicles are less likely to yield to them than other vehicles on the road, the report promised. Beware of human error, says a blog for drivers-training web site DriversEd.com. Assuming that someday autonomous cars are legal on public streets,it won’t be ideal conditions for the robot. There will be a mix of human- and robot-controlled vehicles - the same driving conditions that exist in Mountain View where the Google car and the bus got tangled. “And when driver-controlled and driverless cars have to share the road, it’s not necessarily going to be safer for everyone” warned a blog posted Jan. 20 to announce the DMV rules for self-driving vehicles. “In fact, it may be more dangerous, as drivers will have one more kind of road user to accommodate, and autonomous vehicles will have to respond to the one factor that can never be fully predicted: human behavior.” Distracted driving isn’t going to disappear either because of self-driving vehicles either, the blog adds. “Even with the option for the driver to take over in an emergency, a licensed driver who wants to be chauffeured probably isn’t going to pay close attention to the road … what would be the point of giving up control in the first place?” • medical benefits provided. To fix the issue, the Council increased the EMG employees’ pay schedules by $1,081 per month while reducing the contribution towards medical benefits to the minimum allowed $125—thus essentially making the employees whole while giving them the option if they so choose of using the additional pay towards medical coverage. Keeping the current and retired Council members tied to EMG would have resulted in a significant reduction in the City’s contribution to their health insurance—with only $125 per month covered by the City. The switch to PSSEA allows the Council members to receive $1,160.71 (only a reduction of $39.29) per month towards medical benefits. Councilmember Marie Fellhauer voted against the move--explaining that while she doesn’t seek to change the arrangement for past Council members already receiving benefits, she doesn’t believe those on the dais currently or in the future should contribute to the City’s liability after retiring. “I don’t believe in lifelong benefits,” Fellhauer said. But City Attorney Mark Hensley explained that current and retired Council members cannot be separated under the system. Citing concerns about the cost of the ongoing benefit for retirees, Councilmember Mike Dugan was the other dissenting vote. During public communications, Mike Robbins opined that reducing Council member benefits may deter good candidates from seeking election. Councilmember Davce Atkinson agreed. “Perhaps people wouldn’t run for office if they didn’t have this,” he said. Atkinson added that the amount of potential City savings in question is a “really, really moot point” in the overall big picture of millions of expenditures. In standing her ground, Fellhauer responded, “I’m a principle person.” City Clerk Tracy Weaver informed the Council that the recently passed Senate Bill 415 will require El Segundo to consolidate future local elections with those of the State. This is due to markedly lower voter turnout during general municipal April elections compared to participation in November. Weaver identified the pros of consolidation including higher turnout, decreased trips to the polls, and less work for her office--though she emphasized, “We’re not afraid of work.” Cons (though not fully known) include about 20% higher costs compared to local elections, loss of El Segundo candidate/measure visibility on the ballot, and slower results with up to a 30-day wait to certify winners. Under the new system, an El Segundo Councilmember elected in November would not be sworn in until December. Weaver noted that there is some talk of a movement to repeal SB 415. In the meantime, the item will come back to the Council in 2017 at which time the group would agree to consolidate starting in 2020. While obligated to conform to State law, the Council mem- bers voiced their discontent. “It’s shameful the State’s trying to tell us what to do,” said Mayor Suzanne Fuentes. Mayor Pro Tem Carl Jacobson pointed out that the number of people who vote is not as important as “the quality of the decisions.” He lamented that El Segundo items will now be at the end of the ballot behind other statewide races and measures. City crews will use high-reflective paint and stop paddles as a low-cost (already within budget) method to address traffic safety issues at the intersection of Main Street and Maple Avenue. Councilmember Fellhauer had asked staff to report on pedestrian and traffic safety at that corner where there is a four-way stop sign. She mentioned that she received various phone calls from concerned residents and saw a discussion on Facebook on the topic. Police Chief Mitch Tavera provided a breakdown of all collisions along the various intersections along Main Street over the last two-and-a-half years, with two taking place at Maple. The most incidents occurred at Main and Pine and Main and Grand, with six each. Five accidents happened at Main and Walnut. Though fewer collisions occurred at Maple, Fellhauer pointed to the many near misses and how she personally sees drivers almost run the stop signs in the early mornings. Public Works Director Stephanie Katsouleas said her staff recommends removing a tree that distracts drivers at that intersection. Staff will report back to Council to see if additional measures may be needed. Tavera presented some possibilities (e.g. larger stop signs, rumble strips, high-visibility LED lights) that are not within the current budget. At the beginning of the meeting, the Council recognized City employee Ron Griffin for helping local police capture two burglars the morning of February 27. Griffin saw a female with a flashlight pulling on a car door handle on the 100 block of Concord Street and contacted officers. The action resulted in the arrest of the woman and a second suspect responsible for several burglaries in the area. City Treasurer Crista Binder and Deputy Treasurer II Dino Marsocci provided their quarterly portfolio update. Total portfolio value is at $58.9 million, with the short-term yield at .454% and long-term yield at 1.296%. Since the end of December 2015, the City purchased $4.9 million on bonds. The City also remains in compliance with the investment policy. A new slide shows the compliance by percentage of issuers to ensure investments are not overly concentrated in any one industry. Binder noted that she will bring an updated policy to the Council on April 5 for consideration. Meanwhile, onterest rates continue to stagnate at low levels, making the environment “frustrating for investors,” according to Binder, who noted that most experts feel the Federal Reserve will not raise rates this year. • PUBLIC NOTICES Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. - Dr. Seuss ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. LS027704 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles Petition of: Brittany M. Ball for Change of Name TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner Brittany M. Ball filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Peyton Samuel Gilley to Peyton Samuel Ball The Court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. Notice of Hearing: Date: 4-22-16, Time: 8:30 AM, Dept.: W, Room: 610 The address of the court is 6230 Sylmar Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91401 A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: El Segundo Herald Date: March 11, 2016 HUEY P. COTTON Judge of the Superior Court El Segundo Herald Pub. 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/7/2016 H-25017 NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE AND OF INTENTION TO TRANSFER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE LICENSE (U.C.C. 6101 et seq. and B & P 24074 et seq.) Escrow No. 43263-TLR Notice is hereby given that a bulk sale of assets and a transfer of alcoholic beverage license is about to be made. The names, Social Security or Federal Tax Numbers, and address of the Seller/ Licensee are: Farm Stand Inc / , 422 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245-3002 The Business is known as: Farm Stand, Inc. The names, social Security or Federal Tax Numbers, and addresses of the Buyer/Transferee are: El Gringo Kanteen ES, LLC, 2401 Pacific Caost Hwy., #206, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 As listed by the Seller/Licensee, all other business names and addresses used by the Seller/Licensee within three years before the date such list was sent or delivered to the Buyer/Transferee are: None The assets to be sold are described in general as: Furniture, fixtures & equipment and are located at: 422 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245-3002 The kind of license to be transferred is: On-Sale Beer and Wine- Eating Place now issued for the premises located at: 422 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245- 3002. The anticipated date of the sale/transfer is 04/06/16 at the office of Palm West Escrow, Inc., 2615 Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite 110 Hermosa Beach, CA 90254- 2226 Attn: Traci L. Robbins, Certified Escrow Officer Escrow No.: 43263-TLR The amount of the purchase price or consideration in connection with the transfer of the license and business, including the estimated inventory, is the sum of $200,000.00. It has been agreed between the Seller/ Licensee and the intended Buyer/ Transferee, as required by Sec. 24073 of the Business and Professions Code, that the consideration for the transfer of the business and license is to be paid only after the transfer has been approved by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Dated: February 24, 2016 Licensee (Seller) Farm Stand Inc, a California Corporation By: S/ Ali Mosavi Nejad, President By: S/ Sylvie Gabriele, Vice President Transferee (Buyer) El Gringo Kanteen ES, LLC, a California Limited Liability Company By: S/ William Graw, Manager 3/17/16 CNS-2857892# EL SEGUNDO HERALD El Segundo Herald Pub. 3/17/16 H-25018
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