EL SEGUNDO HERALD April 16, 2020 Page 3
New Council Keeps
Boyles as Mayor
By Rob McCarthy
Months of being shorthanded ended
Tuesday, when the full five El Segundo
City Council members regrouped to elect a
mayor and discuss ways to take the pressure
off local businesses hurt by the coronavirus
emergency and shutdown orders. The council
with new member Lance Giroux voting gave
Mayor Drew Boyles a second term as the
city’s highest elected official. The vote and
meeting were conducted over a video link
that allowed the council members and city
officials and staff to participate from the
safety of their homes and offices. The council
certified the results of the March election in
which all candidates for council, city clerk and
elected city treasurer run opposed - a rarity.
After giving Mayor Boyles a vote of
confidence for his leadership in guiding
El Segundo and keeping citizens informed
through the first month of the coronavirus
public-health emergency, the council promoted
Chris Pimentel to mayor pro tem. He replaces
Carol Pirsztuk, who held the backup mayor’s
position for the past two years. She and
Mayor Boyles ran unopposed in the March
general election. El Segundo voters also reelected
City Treasurer Matt Robinson last month.
The first order of business for the newly
seated council was to explore ways to
assist local companies that have experienced
layoffs because of the COVID-19 shutdown
orders from the state and Los Angeles
County. The board decided to waive late
fees and any penalties on El Segundo hotels
that need additional time to pay the transient
occupancy tax charged to guests. The city
is granting a 30-day extension for paying
the taxes, and council members discussed
looking for other ways to help hotels during
the ongoing COVID-19 emergency. Local
hotels reported a 90 percent drop in occupancy
in March.
The technology used to hold Tuesday’s
council meeting allowed the city officials and
staff to see and hear one another - and for
public viewing of the open meeting - without
putting the participants in the same room to
observe COVID-19 social-distancing. The
opening session of the new council term
lasted nearly two hours. •
Police Reports
Monday, April 6th
A shoplifting report was taken at 1552
hours from the 500 block of North Pacific
Coast Highway. The suspect stole merchandise
from the market.
A burglary (commercial) report was taken
at 0404 hours from the 1400 block of East
Imperial Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) stole
miscellaneous tools from a maintenance cage
in the parking garage.
Tuesday, April 7th
A burglary report was taken at 1729 hours
from the 700 block of West Imperial Avenue.
The suspect entered the mail room and stole
several packages.
A shoplifting report was taken at 1954
hours from the 200 block of East Grand
Avenue. The suspect stole several items
from the store.
An online identity theft report was taken
at 2225 hours from the 300 block of Main
Street. The suspect fraudulently opened up
credit cards in the victim’s name.
City Clerk Tracy Weaver, and new
A burglary (auto) report was taken at 0217
hours from the 800 block of Bungalow Drive.
Unknown suspect(s) entered three locked
vehicles and stole property.
Wednesday, April 6th
A found property report was taken at 0908
hours from the 600 block of Maryland Street.
A wallet and keys were found.
A traffic accident (with injuries) occurred
at 1656 hours inside Plaza El Segundo on
Park Place, vehicle versus tree.
A burglary (auto) report was taken at 1857
hours from the 600 block of West Imperial
Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) broke into the
victim’s vehicle and ransacked the interior.
Nothing was taken.
A burglary (residential) report was taken
at 1908 hours from the 300 block of West
Imperial Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) stole
two bicycles from a carport.
An identity theft report was taken at 2212
hours from the 600 block of Virginia Street.
Gerardo Blanco is Looking
Forward to His Future
Story and Photo by Gregg McMullin
When you meet Gerardo Blanco, you can’t
help but smile back at his infectious smile
that he has already greeted you with. He is
naturally shy, but behind that 6’4” 260-pound
frame, he is one of those unforgettable individuals
that exudes confidence. He’s an
outstanding athlete, an excellent student,
but most of all, he’s a friend with leadership
skills with a bright future ahead.
Gerardo has kept a focus on what he
does each day, especially in terms of being
a good student. Being a good student is
important to Gerardo, so he injects some of
his competitive nature into his classroom
standing. “I structure my day as much as I
can so I can stay in the habit of doing my
homework. If I don’t have any structure, I
tend to lose focus and do anything but my
schoolwork,” he said.
If you ask students what their favorite
class is, you’ll get varying answers that range
from Biology to History to the Arts and even
P.E. Ask Gerardo what his favorite class is,
and he immediately says, “My favorite class
is AP Calculus.!” Wait. What? Did he say
AP Calculus?
Gerardo’s favorite class happens to be one
of the most challenging courses a high school
student can take. The fact that he maintains
an above 4.0 average in that class is even
more impressive. “AP Calculus is my favorite
because I learn something new every day
while also being challenged. It’s definitely
one of my harder classes, but that’s what
makes it so rewarding.”
Gerardo misses the social aspect of being
able to communicate and collaborate with
his classmates and teachers. The routine of
going to school kept him in his zone, but
now with so much free time, he’s learning
to go with the flow of things. His hard work,
determination, and his thirst for challenging
himself has been rewarding. He has a 4.3 GPA
through the first semester with a cumulative
GPA of 4.2 throughout high school. He will
continue his education at Occidental College
and will major in Biological Sciences. “I’ve
always had a passion for the medical field,
so I hope to continue onto Med school.”
While attending one of California’s finest
college institutions, he plans on playing
football, a sport that has really developed
him. “Football has taught me to embrace
failure. It’s a game full of pain, both
mentally and physically.” He added that it
taught him patience, to be humble, and to
be prepared to face adversity, not run from
it. “I’ve had a handful of injuries throughout
high school that has taught me that life is
a process of peaks and valleys. Everyone is
bound to face some adversity in their life;
the winners are the ones who choose to
keep fighting.”
Playing football is one of the best decisions
Gerardo says he’s ever made. “I enjoyed every
moment of playing for Coach Shev (Head
coach Steve Shevlin). Every player who’s
played for him can say he’s made them better
both on the field and as an individual.”
These days are not wasted for Gerardo
as he prepares for his future and sees the
positives being at home. He works out with
his two brothers with a weight set, dumbbells,
strength bands and medicine balls. He
helps and mentors his brothers through
workouts so he can maintain his muscle
mass and teach the proper ways to lift to
his siblings.
See Police Reports, page 6
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Gerardo Blanco will be playing football at Occidental College while studying Biological Sciences.