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. 19 - May 10, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Community Briefs...............2
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Hometown Fair Photos....15
Legals............................12-13
Pets......................................14
Real Estate.....................7-11
Police and Fire Members Get
Special Thanks from Students
The El Segundo Middle School Builders Club and El Segundo High School Key Club showed their appreciation to the El Segundo Police and Fire departments by giving a goodie bag to all personnel with a
handwritten thank you card and candy. (Photo submitted by Matthew Gallon, Kiwanis Adviser to ESMS Builders Club and ESHS Key Club).
Sports....................................5 Mike Dugan Looks Back at Four
Weekend
Forecast
Years on El Segundo City Council
By Brian Simon
On several occasions over the course of
his just-concluded four-year term on the El
Segundo City Council, Mike Dugan would
use the phrase “I struggle with…” or “I
worry that…” to begin his discourse on a
key agenda item that gave him pause. The
retired engineer had an extensive background
closely analyzing data and was reluctant to
allow certain numbers to simply sail through
to adoption without his careful scrutiny. As
a result, he looks back on his tenure on
the dais feeling comfortable that he did his
part in moving the City forward without
compromising what he believed was the
correct course of action. “I have acted as I
promised when I ran for office and I believe
that I have been fair and reasonable in my
dealings as a council member,” he said. “I
have accomplished most of what I set out
to do and I feel the City is on a better path
forward than it was four years ago…so that’s
why I decided to not seek reelection.”
While pleased that the City is on better
footing than it was four years ago, Dugan
still expressed concern about the ongoing
“serious financial issues” in the area of pension
Friday See Mike Dugan, page 5
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costs. “We have some new and very
capable department heads who will help
make El Segundo a better place,” he said. “I
worry that we are being heavily influenced
by businesses and that residents could suffer
some quality of life issues if poor decisions
are made, but I’m confident that the residents
have elected new council members that have
their best interests in mind.”
Dugan recalled that the impetus to get
involved with the Council in the first place
was his desire to help the City become
more fiscally responsible so as not to leave
a legacy of debt to future generations. “I had
done some analysis of El Segundo’s financial
performance and became very concerned
about the future of the City,” he explained.
“It seemed that four years ago, the Council
was mostly focused on increasing revenue
and it reminded me of the old Temptations
song ‘Ball of Confusion,’ where the lyrics
touted that ‘more taxes will solve everything.’
I can remember years when the City had
significant budgetary surpluses and saw how
some questionable decisions had eroded all
of that money. I was concerned that we had
a ‘runaway council’ and that if things didn’t
change, that the City would suffer.”
Dugan noted that he kept an eagle eye on
ES School Board Recap: State Bill
Could Change School Start Time
By Brian Simon
Pending legislation aiming to require
a start time of 8:30 a.m. or later at California
middle and high schools prompted
lengthy discussion during Tuesday night’s
El Segundo School Board meeting. Board
Vice President Nancy Cobb hoped for her
colleagues’ support (note: Dr. Bill Watkins
and Dr. Jeanie Nishime were both absent
on Tuesday) on a resolution against Senate
Bill 328 (SB-328), lamenting the potential
loss of local control and contending that
individual sites – not the State of California
and perhaps not even the School Board
-- should have decision-making power on
the matter. Board President Emilee Layne
was torn on the topic, agreeing on the
point about local control but ultimately
most concerned with “what is best for the
child.” She reported that she could not
find any negative analyses about SB-328
in that regard. Board member Dr. Jim
Garza, realizing the bill would impact
all schools statewide, preferred to take a
“wait and see” approach.
El Segundo High School Principal Dr.
Jennifer Tedford explained that research
on student sleep patterns prompted the
legislation and that all studies support a
later start time. If passed, SB-328 would
add 20 minutes to the current 8:10 a.m.
start time at El Segundo Middle School
(ESMS) and extend the end time to 3 p.m.
Saturday
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Sunday
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See School Board, page 12