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. 23 - June 7, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Film Review..........................6
Legals............................ 12,13
Obituaries.............................2
Pets......................................14
Police Reports.....................2
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports......................... 5,12,13
Weekend
Forecast
Pacific Coast Highway in
El Segundo Gets Official Signing
The name change from Sepulveda Boulevard to Pacific Coast Highway in El Segundo is now official. In this photo from last week, Chevron’s Lily Craig, Mayor Drew Boyles, City of El Segundo Economic
Development Manager Barbara Voss, Mayor Pro Tem Carol Pirsztuk and Councilmember Scot Nicol gave their thumbs-up sign to the new sign. Photo City of El Segundo. •
New Ordinances to Address Party
Houses and Underage Drinking
By Brian Simon
In a meeting that ran to nearly 11:30 p.m.,
the El Segundo City Council on Tuesday night
introduced ordinances to deter loud and unruly
gatherings at so-called “party houses” and to
assess penalties at private events where minors
drink or use drugs. The agenda item prompted
significant public comment from a mixture
of local PTA and Reach Out Against Drugs
(ROAD) representatives as well as regional
drug prevention agency officials. All urged the
Council to adopt the ordinances.
The party house ordinance will allow
police to fine people who host loud and
unruly gatherings – and also cite the property
owners. Much of the impetus for the item came
from a particular Airbnb home at 416 Virginia
Street that has been the subject of numerous
complaints over the last several years from
neighbors upset about noise, littering, vandalism,
trespassing and street/sidewalk/driveway
blocking from guests staying at the residence.
After much discussion, the Council agreed
on a fine system of $2,500 for the first
violation that would jump to $5,000 for the
second offense if that occurs within 90 days
of the first. A third violation in that period
increases the fee to $7,500. Councilmember
Chris Pimentel asked to adjust the timeline
to the 90-day window as a way to show a
“pattern of abusive behavior” as opposed to
penalizing someone for a couple of isolated
incidents over a full year. After 90 days pass
with no violations, the fine then reverts back
to $2,500. Police Chief Bill Whalen explained
that the intent is to identify when a house is
a recurring problem or nuisance – not the site
of one or two one-off events.
Pimentel was not so certain about the proposed
“social host liability ordinance.” The rest of the
Council supported fees of $1,000, $2,000 and
$5,000 (the same amounts already adopted by
Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach) for successive
offenses that occur within a 12-month
period where police find evidence of minors
drinking alcohol at a gathering. El Segundo’s
ordinance will also be one of the first in the
region to also impose a penalty for marijuana
consumption. But Pimentel questioned the
reasoning for the ordinance when current laws
in California are already stringent regarding
underage drinking. He expressed concern about
the ability to prove a parent or homeowner
was negligent. City Attorney Mark Hensley
confirmed that officers can only cite when it
is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” That means
seeing the illegal activities in person, taking
IDs and interviewing guests.
Related to the party house ordinance, Planning
and Building Safety Director Sam Lee noted
that the Council will also in the next month
or two discuss the topic of short-term rentals
in town – whether to ban them altogether, or
perhaps allow them with heavy penalties built
in for bad behavior. Second reading and adoption
of the ordinances will take place at the
Council’s strategic planning session on June 13
with the laws going into effect 30 days later.
Also on Tuesday, the Council approved a
new fee schedule for the upcoming El Segundo
Aquatics Center as well as the Urho
Saari Swim Stadium (The Plunge) as a way to
recover the City’s total costs for the facilities.
The fees (vetted by the Aquatics Subcommittee
and Recreation and Parks Commission after
an extensive consultant study on comparable
market areas) include daily drop-in rates and
multi-use options over various time periods,
family packages, and hourly lane rental fees.
The stated goal is to break even or close to it
after a few years of operation.
Daily single visit drop-in rates (currently free
for all El Segundo resident age groups) will
go to $4 for adults 18 to 61; $2 for military,
seniors 62-plus and youth 3 to 17. Non-residents
who now pay $5 across the board will
see that number increase to $6 for adults but
drop to $4 for the other categories. The fee
structure also includes bulk price incentives
for residents and non-residents who purchase
30-day, 90-day or annual memberships. Also
added to the mix is a spectator pass ($1 for
drop-ins), which Recreation and Parks Director
Meredith Petit said is an important way to
control access at large events and to ensure
people don’t simply pop into the building to,
as an example, shave or shower. Additionally,
per the settlement agreement with Wiseburn
See City Council, page 4
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