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The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 108, No. 33 - August 15, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................11
Classifieds............................4
Community Briefs...............3
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment....................10
Legals....................................9
Letters...................................3
Real Estate..................7-8,12
Sports.................................5,6
Weekend
Forecast
1969 Babe Ruth World Series
Winners Reunite 50 Years Later
Members of El Segundo’s 1969 Babe Ruth World Series championship team got together once again. From left, outfielder Stewart Swiggum, outfielder Jeff Tidwell, pitcher Scott McGregor, third baseman
Steve Curtis and pitcher Ed Carroll pose with copies of the El Segundo Herald before the start of the 2019 Babe Ruth World Series. McGregor is holding an actual 1969 Herald. Photo: Gregg McMullin
El Segundo Mayor Calls Visit to
China an Eye-Opening Experience
By Brian Simon
After arriving in Beijing with an American delegation
of 15, El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles
quickly wondered what he had gotten himself
into when what he thought would be a friendly
of week of exchange turned uncomfortable and
awkward right off the bat. He and his group
had walked into a meeting where the second in
command of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the People’s Republic of China decided to give
Riverside-based Congressman Mark Takano an
earful and then some regarding the ongoing
trade wars with the United States. “He went
off on Congressman Takano and said all these
tariffs are ruining all the years of our nations
working together,” Boyles said. “But the congressman
put him in his place and represented
our country well. I was quite proud of him, but
was thinking to myself, ‘Hmm…this is going
to be a very interesting trip.’” As it turned
out, the rest of the proceedings were far more
congenial and Boyles emerged from the lifechanging
excursion with an armful of important
new contacts and a renewed appreciation of
the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.
The mayor was part of an annual contingent
hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for
Friendship with Foreign Countries. The intent
is to build relationships between the US and
Chinese government at both the municipal and
provincial levels and to further international
cooperation while safeguarding world peace
and promoting common development.
After receiving the invitation, Boyles
jumped at an opportunity that was one of
his longstanding bucket list items. “I’ve
always wanted to go to China anyway and
so I took it upon myself to fund the trip out
of pocket so that none of it would be paid
by the City of El Segundo nor the Chinese
People’s Association for Friendship with
Foreign Countries organization. I felt very
strongly about that.”
During the visit, Boyles and company met
with a number of “very high-level government
officials.” The list of foreign dignitaries
included the mayor of Chengdu, which happens
to sport a population of 34 million – roughly
three times that of the City of Los Angeles. Of
particular interest to Boyles was the Dadukou
district within Chongging, a major city in the
southwest portion of China. “They’re going
through a similar thing as El Segundo,” Boyles
noted. “They have a history of industry…
it was actually the military epicenter during
World War II when the US helped fight off
the Japanese in China. And like El Segundo,
they are going through a transformation of
sorts as well.”
Impressed with Boyles’ description of the
similarities between the two municipalities,
the higher-ups in Dadukou asked the mayor to
sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
to exchange ideas. “I said I would only move
forward if the [El Segundo] City Council
agrees, so I actually had them [Dadukou officials]
amend the MOU and I signed it with
that stipulation,” Boyles explained. “I will
review it with the other Council members in
the near future.”
In addition to fascinating interactions with the
Chinese, Boyles was pleased to report that he
built “great relationships” with Takano, five state
assembly members and five other mayors. He
called that component of the visit “the best part
of the trip” and emphasized that the chance to
“break bread” with these elected officials was
a rare and important opportunity regardless of
the destination. “I was able to get a platform
to share just how different El Segundo is,”
Boyles explained. “Despite our commercial
growth and increased media presence in recent
years, people still don’t understand who we
are as a city and just how vital we are to the
economic vitality of our region.”
While touring Chinese cities and enjoying
meals together, Boyles emphasized El Segundo’s
uniqueness to his cohorts and promoted the
city’s status as a diverse business hub as well
as its positioning as the “aerospace capital of
the world.” While in Chongging, he also shared
his concerns about housing demand, the need
to maintain local control, issues about LAX
expansion, and the critical retention of Los
Angeles Air Force Base.
Boyles also learned some eye-opening facts
about China that made him even more thankful
for the amenities offered to American citizens.
“I came back with an absolute renewed love
for our country and the freedoms that we often
take for granted,” he said. “Beijing alone, if
you’ve been there, there are cameras everywhere
you look. It’s the second-most videotaped city
behind London, of all places. In Shanghai, it’s
See Mayor, page 9
Friday
Mostly
Sunny
71˚/62˚
Saturday
Mostly
Sunny
69˚/62˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
70˚/62˚