The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 109, No. 25 - June 18, 2020
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................10
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................5
Legals.................................4,9
Neighborhood Therapist.....2
Pets......................................11
Police Reports.....................2
Real Estate..................6-8,12
School Spotlight..................3
Weekend
Forecast
Solid Training Keeps Us Safe
The El Segundo Fire Department continues to train throughout this pandemic while staying safe and responsible. Wildland Fire season is here and all three shifts are brushing up on their hose lays and fire
shelter deployments. Photo courtesy El Segundo Fire Department.
Friday
Mostly
Sunny
69˚/59˚
Saturday
Partly
Cloudy
69˚/60˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/60˚
City Hears Activists Call for Change
By Rob McCarthy
Members of an El Segundo group associated
with Black Lives Matter showed up
Tuesday night at City Hall with a message
for the council: They want change and aren’t
going away. Their demand followed a series
of peaceful demonstrations and some backlash
against Police Chief Bill Whalen for a recent
photo taken with student protesters.
The local activists - who are calling themselves
El Segundo for Black Lives - specifically
asked the City Council for a show of support
after holding several peaceful demonstrations.
Member John Pickhaver said that a “vocal
minority” of residents continue to stick up
for the city, insisting that there are no racial
problems to fix.
Pickhaver, who is white, was one of five
of the group’s members to speak Tuesday
during public comments. “El Segundo is
not fine. A lot needs to be done,” he said,
pointing to a few offensive comments left on
Facebook and other social media.
Another member, Amanda Touchton, who
is a parent of two, said “There is no reason
this town cannot have more people of color
in positions of power,” including educators.
Touchton stressed the local group, with as
many 600 followers on social media, isn’t
attacking the El Segundo Police Department.
Chief Whalen has been professional every step
of the way, she said. “This is an opportunity
to make our town a better place.”
Five speakers and 22 letters later, the El
Segundo council agreed it was time to take
action. The city will form a commission to
advise city leaders on racial sensitivity and
to represent black residents, families and
students who’ve recently begun to talk about
their experiences. The recruitment drive will
begin immediately to seat nine members of
the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission,
City Manager Scott Mitnick said.
Mayor Drew Boyles called the city commission
“a big step for us” and indicated
more action from City Hall is coming. The
city’s strategic planning document will be
amended later this year, the mayor said, so
decisions align with this new commitment
that El Segundo is working toward more
diversity in staffing and decision-making.
Councilman Lance Giroux came to the
defense of Chief Whalen, who posed with
student protesters on June 3. The chief’s actions
reportedly bothered some El Segundo
officers who feel unfairly accused of the bad
behavior that has surfaced in other departments
nationwide. Retired ESPD Captain
Bob Turnbull wrote a letter critical of Chief
Whalen for having his picture taken with
student protesters who were holding Black
Lives Matter signs. The incident in question
happened on June 3.
Turnbull charged the police chief “violated
department policy, city code and the code of
ethics” by posing in uniform with the young
protesters at a political rally. The image
of Whalen with sign-carrying Black Lives
Matter supporters was shared online. “He
(the chief) has lost my trust and the trust of
several other police leaders who have come
before him to effectively lead the officers of
the El Segundo Police Department,” wrote
Turnbull, who retired from the force in
December 2017.
Councilman Giroux, however, considers the
chief’s response appropriate because he was
surrounded by young people who want better
relations with police officers who patrol their
communities. A great many of the students
at the June 3 rally were attending their first
political protest, Giroux said, and it was a
positive experience for them.
While he understands why police officers
might disagree with the chief, the councilman
believes the criticism directed at
Whalen misses the larger point. “I believe
Chief Whalen did the right thing,” Giroux
said, adding, “what I saw in the photo I
didn’t think was a political statement.” The
councilman explained that by showing support
for the peaceful protests, El Segundo’s
police chief modeled the type of behavior
the City Council wants to see between the
police department and the community.
Short-term rentals were back on the agenda
Tuesday with more discussion among the
council members about limiting the experiment
to single-family homes. Only four members
participated because Mayor Pro tem Chris
Pimentel recused himself because of a conflict
of interest. The decision to regulate the
popular guest stays in El Segundo neighborhoods
could come at the July 21 meeting.
However, the pandemic could interrupt the
planned start for a 15-month trial run to see
whether parking and loud guests are going to
be a problem. September 1 is a new start date
for the short-term rental program; however,
that hinges on Los Angeles County allowing
See City Council, page 9