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. 22 - May 31, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................16
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Food Guide.........................19
Legals......................... 8,14,15
Obituaries.............................2
Pets......................................17
Real Estate................9-13,20
Sports....................................5
Weekend
Forecast
Civic Day Provides Council-ing
Opportunity for ESHS Students
Last week’s Civic Day, Part II featured a mock City Council meeting where El Segundo High School students took to the dais to discourse on real-life issues affecting the community. The participants – who
additionally included actual Council members, City officials and department heads -- posed for this group shot. See inside this week’s edition for more highlights from Civic Day. Photo Provided by City of
El Segundo. For more photos see page 15. •
El Segundo Police Volunteer
Shares a Flaky Beatles Memory
By Brian Simon
After wrapping up a 42-year career with
American Airlines in 2005, El Segundo
resident Linda Messia joined the El Segundo
Police Department (ESPD) as part of the
Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP).
She is still at it more than 12 years later,
working at least 16 hours a month to help
provide an additional set of “eyes and ears”
for the community. And she has a really great
Beatles story, but that’s for later.
The RSVP program continues to thrive and
is now celebrating its 25th anniversary since
its original inception in 1993 under then-Police
Chief Tim Grimmond. The department’s goal
is to tap into the vast experience and skills
seniors bring to the table as well as provide
another way for the latter group to give back
to the community. RSVPs assist both Field
Operations and Administrative Services Bureaus,
Two El Segundo Police Officers
Honored at Medal of Valor Event
By Brian Simon
Two El Segundo police officers earned
recognition at last week’s 44th Annual
South Bay Medal of Valor luncheon for their
notable actions during two serious incidents
in 2017. Officer Jeff Darringer received
the Medal of Valor, while Sgt. Tony de la
Rambelje earned a Distinguished Service
Award. This year’s event, held at the Torrance
Marriott, also honored officers from
Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood
and Torrance. The purpose of the Medal
of Valor Awards program is to “attract
community recognition and attention to
the South Bay’s outstanding police and
fire departments, and to honor their exceptional
individuals.” The ceremony is
also a fundraiser for the South Bay Police
& Fire Memorial Foundation – an organization
that provides financial support for
families of fallen or disabled police and
fire personnel from nine independent South
Bay cities including El Segundo. Among
the foundation’s current board members
are El Segundo Police Lieutenant Carlos
Mendoza and Continental Development
Corporation Community Affairs Director
Sherry Kramer
In selecting recipients, the Medal of
Valor Committee reviews applications
submitted by senior officers from the nine
public safety departments. “The Medal
of Valor is given to a police officer or
with duties that include speaking with
local merchants; driving a marked volunteer
car through residential and commercial areas
to provide visibility and keep an eye on
possible criminal activity; and helping with
traffic control and special events.
However, vacation checks remain the
most important and popular of all the RSVP
services, according to ESPD Lieutenant
Jaime Bermudez. “We always get residents
that call requesting vacation checks of their
homes while they are away,” he explained.
“The RSVPs help by visiting each home and
checking the perimeter to make sure everything
is locked and secured. Our residents
really appreciate this service.”
Linda agreed. “We check on homes when
residents go away for sometimes days and even
weeks,” she said. “We check out their homes
from doors, windows, anything suspicious…
and pick up any newspaper or other items
that could alert a potential burglar to know
the house might be a place to break into.”
Linda is one of 15 RSVPs currently involved
with the department, with the members
ranging in length of service time from four
months to 22 years. To qualify, one must
be at least 55 years old, pass a background
investigation, be able to walk stairs (without
railings) and walk without the assistance of
a cane or walker. Volunteers must work at
least four hours a week.
Awarded the ESPD RSVP of the Year
in 2014, Linda also volunteered with the
Manhattan Beach Police Department for a
decade, mostly providing station tours for
grade school kids. She originally moved to
El Segundo in 1998 with her son Justin who
was 9 years old at the time. “I would say
that I am always wanting to give back for the
beautiful life I have lived, and police work
was part of the answer,” she explained. “I
was also a volunteer with St. John’s Hospital
in Santa Monica, Marina Mercy Hospital and
Northridge Hospital.” And then there was that
run-in with The Beatles. But not just yet…
Born and educated in Pasadena, Linda knew
from an early age that she wanted to be an
airline “stewardess,” as the profession was
called back then. When age appropriate, she
accepted a position with American Airlines
(United also wanted to hire her). “When I
was hired in December 1962, there were
qualifications and rules and regulations that
no longer exist today,” she said. “For instance,
you could not be married, have children, had
to resign at the age of 32, and there were
See Linda Messia, page 16
See Medal of Valor, page 8
Friday
Sunny
74˚/64˚
Saturday
Sunny
75˚/65˚
Sunday
Sunny
74˚/64˚