The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 105, No. 48 - November 17, 2016 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................6 Classifieds............................4 Crossword/Sudoku.............4 Entertainment......................5 Legals............................ 13,14 Obituaries.............................2 Pets......................................15 Police Reports.....................3 Real Estate.....................8-12 Sports.................................5,6 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 75˚/54˚ Saturday Sunny 71˚/55˚ Sunday Mostly Sunny 68˚/56˚ ESHS High Cast of “Our Town” High School puts on “Our Town”: The cast and crew from “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, Presented by the ESHS Drama Dept. Show dates were: November 3, 4, and 5th. The play tells the story of the everyday lives of the citizens of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire (a fictional American small town) between 1901 -1913. Photo by Alex Turner, ESHS. • New Ordinance Bans Local Cannabis Related Businesses By Brian Simon El Segundo won’t see any marijuana dispensaries or edibles shops opening up around town anytime soon, if ever. In a move to curb local commercial marijuana activity in the wake of California voters passing Proposition 64 last week, the El Segundo City Council on Tuesday night unanimously adopted an urgency ordinance to prohibit business licensing for any cannabis-related endeavors in the community. The item, added as a late special agenda by City Attorney Mark Hensley, required approval by 4/5 of the Council in order to proceed. A second urgency ordinance aimed to prohibit permit issuances for marijuanarelated Smoky Hollow Public Workshop Engages Community in Defining the Area By Liz Spear With about 44 interested community members in attendance, staff from consultant MIG in Pasadena recently took the audience at the second public Smoky Hollow Specific Plan Update Community Workshop through concepts addressing parking, traffic, sidewalks, bike lanes and buildings in the historical area of El Segundo. The meeting, held by the City of El Segundo, took place in the Council chambers at City Hall on November 3 and held true to its two-hour time limit. The workshop, designed for the City and MIG to get feedback on concepts in play for the area, allowed each person in attendance the option of using a “clicker” to vote for their preferred concept after MIG staff explained up to three concepts for areas in Smoky Hollow with detail on each plan. With a large white screen in front of the audience and a computer that projected renderings, MIG team members walked the audience through design concepts for north/south streets, El Segundo Boulevard, Grand Avenue and Franklin Avenue--the four areas Smoky Hollow has been divided into for planning purposes. Though audience members did vote on the concepts presented, they were also told not to assume that the options being presented “are a done deal” or “cooked,” said El Segundo City Manager Greg Carpenter. “By no means have we See Smoky Hollow, page 6 land uses within El Segundo, but did not pass muster with Council members Mike Dugan and Carol Pirsztuk. “I don’t like telling people what they can do with their own land when they voted [with Prop 64] to say this is what they want to do with their property,” Dugan explained. The full Council then approved a revised version to allow growing in accordance to the State law. Prop 64 legalizes the recreational use of marijuana in California, including commercial and residential cultivation. It allows delivery to homes, retail sales and personal possession of up to one ounce if one is 21 or older. Retail establishments won’t be able open until at least late 2017 as the State figures out licensing and regulations. Hensley noted that municipalities still have the authority to outlaw all activities except the ability of individuals to grow up to six plants inside their homes—which citizens can do now. With the revision to the second urgency ordinance, they can also grow outside, provided it occurs in a completely enclosed area (the same criterion dictated by the State). The urgency ordinance allowed the Council to pass the item immediately. In case the move runs into any future legal challenge, the group will also vote in two weeks on a backup regular ordinance (which wouldn’t be able to officially go into effect for another month after that) that bans commercial marijuana activity. Mayor Suzanne Fuentes issued a reminder that cannabis is still illegal under federal law. “It’s not where I want to see our City revenues coming from,” she remarked about potential tax dollars from marijuana sales. Police Chief Mitch Tavera discussed the challenges of enforcement since legislators have not yet set any value (as there is with alcohol in the blood) to measure those driving under the influence of marijuana. For now, police officers determine if someone is too impaired to drive safely based on expertise and judgment. Mayor Pro Tem Drew Boyles emphasized the need to get the word out so that individuals don’t assume they can “drive high” and get a free pass. Also on Tuesday as a follow-up to the item discussed on September 20, the Council by a 3-2 vote (with Fuentes and Dugan dissenting) opted to waive parking requirements for the El Segundo Museum of Art (ESMoA). While the museum itself couldn’t originally provide the necessary nine spaces per the size of the building, Chevron agreed to do so without compensation. The museum then opened in 2013 under the assumption the parking issue was handled--and the refinery has indeed supplied the spots ever since. However, Chevron lawyers were not willing to sign off on a City-mandated covenant (which has to be recorded with the County See City Council, page 14
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