Page 2 July 27, 2017 EL SEGUNDO HERALD City Council from front page make other tough decisions over the next two years including whether to pursue new revenue sources, as well as how to prioritize and fund implementation of new technology (since various systems now in place are outdated). They will also look to create a policy for cost recovery; review the current business model for trash and water/sewer; discuss land use; address infrastructure financing; deal with mandated storm water costs; and devise a future salary and compensation model that keeps the City competitive. The latest strategic planning meeting covered several trends that El Segundo has already begun to experience. Among the key points, the population continues to age with the result of fewer working adults per senior. Real earnings for workers are expected to rise in California over the next few decades, with the minimum wage going to $15 per hour by January 2022. In three years, millennials will comprise half of the national workforce. The City’s current workforce is mostly Generation X and Baby Boomer. The changing population and age group mix will entail maintaining a balancing act in order to cater to different interests and expectations. Meanwhile, cities in general find themselves competing in a smaller talent pool—particularly for experienced executives, managers and supervisors, as well as police officers, engineers, planners, public finance professionals, human resources experts, and water treatment and distribution specialists. The rise of Airbnb and Uber is also on El Segundo’s radar, as the Council will look at how to regulate these services within the community to determine if those are subject to taxing and licensing—while also considering the impact on local housing/rental prices, traditional hotel stays, livable wages and labor markets. Local residents can take a survey on the City’s website to weigh in on the Airbnb/short-term rental issue. The Council will also consider a different mix of uses east of Sepulveda to enhance economic development opportunities. Due to heavy demand, rezoning to allow residential housing in that area is also a future topic on the table---though such a move will increase City personnel and infrastructure costs. Advanced technology--such as 3D printing and self-driving cars that both figure to dominate the market over time--will impact the manufacturing and transportation of goods while also changing job opportunities. The City will additionally look at how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used as a tool to process information. Potential AI applications run the gamut from legal to health services. Experts expect climate change to create challenges for local governments, with California becoming warmer and drier. El Segundo will likely see significant shoreline loss with one or more meters of sea-level rise. Beach erosion and shoreline loss will in turn impact property, infrastructure and tourism—not to mention power generation and other utilities. Water resources, as well as the swelling costs for the commodity, will also be a big factor. Desalination technology could be part of the solution, with NRG’s El Segundo plant a proposed location for a facility. The City also has a long-term goal of building another water storage reservoir to shore up emergency supplies, though funding remains a major obstacle. Finally, shifts in federal policies pose uncertainty for local governments in planning for the future. Energy, environment, water, immigration, healthcare, housing and regulations are some of the areas in question. Despite the less optimistic outlook, the City identified a number of pluses that can help it navigate the rough waters. The list includes strong reserve policies; increased long-term revenues from the recent transient occupancy tax increase; dedicated funding for street improvements from Measure M and SB81 (the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017); constant policy and staff focus on economic development—with several major projects in the pipeline and plans to transform the Smoky Hollow District as well as create a new vision for Downtown; and a cost allocation and fee study underway. Also, City department heads continue to be conscious of operating within their budgets. The main objectives for the next strategic planning session on August 8 are to develop Council consensus for priorities for the 2017/18 fiscal year and obtain feedback from the members on how to allocate general fund reserves. Priorities will be arranged in two tiers, with the top items receiving primary attention and the secondary list pursued as resources permit. Items that don’t make either tier will be set aside in a list tagged for future opportunities. A budget public hearing will take place the first Council meeting in September with adoption of the document the last week of the month. • Community Briefs El Camino, Northrop Grumman to Sponsor “Global Innovation Summit” The El Camino College Industry & Technology Division is partnering with Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) to sponsor an exciting morning of innovation, science and creativity. The Northrop Grumman Global Innovation Summit is an intern and student demonstration activity similar to a live-action video game. The summit is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon July 28 in El Camino College’s Murdock Stadium. The event is free and open to the public--everyone is encouraged to attend! Five teams of ECC/Hawthorne High School students and Northrop Grumman interns will battle together to save the world from simulated wildfires ravaging the planet. They’ll accomplish this feat using RC planes, quad copters, and rovers (with silly string!) they have spent their summer designing, building and flying. “This is a great opportunity for our students to incorporate their technical skills and critical thinking, along with communication and teamwork,” said El Camino College Industry & Technology Division Dean Stephanie Rodriguez. One of Northrop Grumman’s initiatives to encourage STEM education across the globe, the event is designed to bring student teams together to solve problems. “The NG mentor team noticed that while many schools and workplaces focus on teaching technical skills, what often is the pivotal factor is the ability communicate and work as a team,” said Katie Halmagean, NGAS aerospace engineer and demonstration program lead. “We constructed a fun project with technical challenges, yet it requires collaboration, rapid innovation and creativity from all five teams to succeed.” At the summit, wildfires will be represented with six-foot-tall fabric flames on a football fieldsized map of the world. Each vehicle has a critical and unique role to extinguish the fires, as each of the teams use technology, and above all, cooperation, to support this simulated disaster relief. El Camino College is located at 16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance. Campus parking is $3. For more information about the Global Innovation Summit, contact Karen Latuner at 310-660-3593, extension 3520, or view https:// tinyurl.com/NGGlobalInnovationSummit. – Content: El Camino College El Segundo Kiwanis and Police Department Good Citizen Award Melissa Ziegler noticed an unfamiliar man seated in a parked car on her block. The man exited and returned to his vehicle several times. Due to the man’s suspicious behavior, she called the police. El Segundo Police officers arrived on scene and contacted the suspicious man. Their investigation revealed he was in possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as identity theft related documents. Ziegler’s keen observations and willingness to report this incident led to the arrest of this individual. – Content and Photo: ESPD Airport Board Approves Projects Connecting All Nine Terminals Beyond Security Screening Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners (BOAC) this month approved a project to modernize Terminals 2 and 3, as well as connect them to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). The group also voted in favor of a lease agreement with Southwest Airlines for a new building (Terminal 1.5) that will include a connector between Terminals 1 and 2, as well as space for additional ticket counters, baggage carousels, a bus gate and an additional Security Screening Check Point. BOAC took a number of actions as it approved the Terminal 2 and 3 Modernization Project, including certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report and adoption of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings of Fact, the Statement of Overriding Considerations and the Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program (MMRP). The commissioners also recommended that the Los Angeles City Council concur with their actions. Delta Air Lines plans to invest as much as $1.9 billion in the modernization, which would include upgrading the Terminal 2 concourse, demolition and reconstruction of the Terminal 3 concourse building, demolition of the southern appendages of the Terminal 3 satellite, and demolition and reconstruction of the passenger and baggage processing facilities (ticketing buildings). According to the environmental impact statement, reconfiguration of the gates as part of the projects could add as many as four gates between the two terminals. The BOAC also approved two actions related to Southwest Airlines, amending its Terminal Delta Air Lines’ plan for Terminals 2 and 3 includes a connector to the Tom Bradley International Terminal Facility Lease and License Agreement for space in Terminal 1 while approving a new lease for the future Terminal 1.5. The new building is a 417,515-square-foot, six-level facility that will span the gap between Terminals 1 and 2, and require demolition of Gate 10 in Terminal 1. In addition to providing space for baggage claims, ticket counters, a Security Screening Check Point, and two floors of office space, the building will connect Terminals 1 and 2. There will be connections between the non-secured areas of the terminals on the Lower/Arrivals and Upper/Departures levels, while the connection on the Concourse Level will be on the secured side of the building, allowing passengers to more easily transfer between the terminals. Terminal 1.5, estimated to cost $490 million and expected to open in 2020, will also include a vertical circulation core to connect it to the future Automated People Mover, and feature a bus gate that will allow Southwest Airlines to transport passengers to TBIT for international flights. – Content: Abridged from LAWA Press Release (L to R: El Segundo Police Chief Bill Whalen, Melissa Ziegler, El Segundo Kiwanis Club President George Funk) Women’s Flag Football Game Raises $60,000 for Alzheimer’s of Greater Los Angeles The 6th annual tackleALZ flag football game took place Saturday, July 15 at Campus El Segundo. Two teams–the FirebALZ (pictured above) and the AlzStarz--competed fiercely both on and off the field in a friendly rivalry to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and funds for Alzheimers’ of Greater Los Angeles (ALZGLA). Team FirebALZ won the game, 13-12, but team AlzStarz won the online fundraising challenge. tackleALZ raised more than $60,000 for ALZGLA. Photo by Rich Cruse Photography.
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