The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 109, No. 47 - November 19, 2020
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................10
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................3
Legals.................................4,9
Neighborhood Therapist.....2
Pets......................................11
Police Reports.....................2
Real Estate.......................5-7
Seniors..................................9
Weekend
Forecast
New Tenant Arrives on Rosecrans
(l-r) Chairman and CEO, Henrik Fisker and President of Continental Development Corporation, Richard Lundquist stand in front of a prototype of the Fisker Ocean all-electric SUV, a vehicle planned for
production in Q4, 2022. Fisker, Inc, is a new tenant of Continental Development Corporation has moved to the South Bay. Their offices are located on 1888 Rosecrans facing Aviation Blvd. Photo courtesy
Continental Development Corporation.
ESFD Fire Marshall Carver Hits
the Retirement Home Stretch
By Duane Plank
According to the arduous, painstaking
research that I embarked upon (ten-second
Google search), the first fire engine company
appeared on the scene, somewhere,
in 1678. Fairly sure that that fire company
did not involve a cadre of firetrucks. Or
engines. Benjamin Franklin, in his spare
time, is credited with rallying the first
volunteer fire company in America’s
Philadelphia in 1736. Apparently, the
volunteer firefighters spent a lot of time
socializing when they were not quelling
blazes for insurance companies, waiting
around for fires to occur that they could
douse. Cannot blame them for loafing
around; they were volunteers, after all.
You get what you pay for, right?
Well, today’s firefighters and fire preventers
do not spend their time loafing
around, and, yes, they do draw a paycheck.
One of the El Segundo Fire Department’s
(ESFD) finest, James Carver, a
fire prevention icon, who has been with
the department since 1991, is an integral
player in the ESFD and has his retirement
day is in sight. If all goes according to
plan, Carver, 57, will officially retire on
Dec. 30, though he does intend to keep
his firehose in the game and do some
consulting work post-retirement.
As a fire-preventionist, Carver and his
charges are tasked with preventing the
See Fire Marshall Carver, page 12
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
66˚/51˚
Saturday
Partly
Cloudy
68˚/51˚
Sunday
Sunny
70˚/49˚
Shopping Centers Want Broader
Mix of Tenants to Fill Vacancies
By Rob McCarthy
The property owners of The Point and Plaza
El Segundo have lost several high-profile retailers
to bankruptcies and store closures this
year, forcing the retail and dining complex
to consider leasing space to businesses that
don’t generate sales taxes for the city. To
adapt to how people shop and their changing
lifestyles, representatives for the centers
proposed Tuesday, allowing an even greater
mix of services at the two properties.
Before the start of the pandemic in late
February, Plaza El Segundo had a vacancy
rate of almost 7 percent, and several empty
stores and pads at The Point hovered at just
above 4 percent, according to representatives
of Federal Realty Investment Trust.
The company owns and operates 100 shopping
centers in the country and wants to
remake the El Segundo retail centers into a
lifestyle-friendly hub for shopping, dining,
and personal services. According to a staff
report, the concept of bringing health and
beauty professionals into the mix is taking
hold in other areas, including The Westside
Pavilion in Los Angeles and the Baldwin
Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
A report prepared for city officials predicted
more store closures as online retailers capture
a greater share of sales. The stay-at-home
orders and limitations on stores during the
current COVID-19 health emergency have
cut even deeper into foot traffic at the brickand
mortar stores at The Plaza and The Point,
according to the analysis of the retail industry.
The fear is that unless shopping centers
evolve into destinations that fit consumers’
lifestyles, the decline of traditional shopping
complexes will accelerate.
“It’s not lost of me that three years ago
we had this conversation before COVID
hit. This is inevitable, “said Mayor Drew
Boyles, adding he’s willing to accommodate
the developer’s request. “I just want to see
them succeed.” A study prepared ahead of
Tuesday’s presentation estimates that by
converting retail space into offices, sales at
the two commercial centers could increase
by $2 million. A grim statistic included in
the report: up to 40 percent of U.S. malls
could shut down over the next five years.
Building housing along the shopping centers’
perimeter might be a long-term solution
for the retailers and food establishments.
However, there are environmental obstacles
that would take years of testing, study and
regulatory hearings to obtain the approval to
build residences within walking distance of
The Point and Plaza, the developers told the
council. When they built the shopping plazas,
online retail was 1-2 percent of retail sales,
compared to almost 10 percent now. The
See City Council, page 8