Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 3, No. 35 - September 2, 2021
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This Issue
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Entertainment......................2
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Huber’s Hiccups..................2
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Inglewood.............................5
Legals............................. 4,6,7
Pets........................................8
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LA Kings Help to Renew a Roller
Hockey Rink in the South Bay
The City of El Segundo and the Los Angeles Kings partnered up to renovate the city’s roller hockey rink. The renovation project was made possible through the LA Kings support and $75,000 donation. On
hand for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was El Segundo Mayor Pro Tem Chris Pimentel, LA Kings President and Hockey Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille, and President of the El Segundo Inline Hockey Association
Jeff Tiddens. Kings former forward and team radio analyst Daryl Evans emceed the ceremony. From left Council members Scot Nicol and Carol Pirsztuk, Grace Smith, King’s mascot Bailey, Mayor Pro Tem
Chris Pimentel, Bodhi Le, Luc Robitaille and Jeff Tiddens. Photo by Gregg McMullin.
El Segundo’s New Development Director
Has His Sights Set on the Future
By Duane Plank
Although Michael Allen has been on the
job for less than three weeks, the new El
Segundo Development Services Director is
already casting his gaze at what our city may
look like in 50 or 100 years. And how he
can positively influence the future.
Allen’s first day on the job was August
16. He survived a highly competitive recruitment
process, and after recently working as
the Culver City Planning Manager, he was
looking for an opportunity to advance his
career, which landed him in an office in the
Main Street El Segundo City Hall.
El Segundo City Manager Scott Mitnick
said of his new hire: “The City Council
and Executive Team are excited to welcome
Mr. Allen to the city’s leadership team. His
expertise and knowledge about land use and
zoning will be a valuable asset to the organization,
especially as the city continues to
attract exciting new developments.”
As Mitnick noted, Allen brings extensive
land use, zoning, and community development
experience to his new job, having worked
in several municipalities, and even traveling
overseas for a work stint in the Mongolian
capital city of Ulaanbaatar, where he provided
urban planning and design support to
government officials.
A resident of nearby Mar Vista, where he lives
with his wife Jane, Allen was raised in Northern
California, in the small town of Sebastopol, an
hour north of San Francisco, which is in Sonoma
County, a region known for its cultivating
of apples and plums, and currently, according
to my typical brief research, wine grapes.
He said that he has always had an interest
in “design, in general,” noting that, in high
school, he was very involved in taking drafting,
architecture, and design-related course
offerings. He said this was the genesis for his
interest in “urban design and city planning.”
Allen obtained his Bachelor of Science
degree in urban and regional planning from
Cal Poly Pomona in 2006. He furthered his
academic credentials by receiving a master’s
degree in organizational management and
administration from Iowa’s Ashford University.
He has also achieved certification with
the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Allen said that when he matriculated to
Cal Poly Pomona, he was keenly focused
on what he wanted to do for a living, and
then, “many years later,” burnished up his
resume by attending the hybrid online program
at Ashford.
Allen was eager to join Team El Segundo
when he landed the job. “I am thrilled to be
joining the team as Development Services
Director,” he said. Noting how he was “drawn
to the intimate, small-town atmosphere among
an incredibly flourishing business community,
I am looking forward,” he said, “with
collaborating with those who live and work
here to continue the success and evolution
of El Segundo.”
Allen spent the last 4 ½ years as the city
Planning Manager in Culver City, where he,
among other duties, managed the day-to-day
operations of the Current Planning Division,
where he said he spent “90% of my time
working with the major developments currently
happening in Culver City.” He said he worked
New El Segundo Development Services Director Michael Allen.
Photo courtesy of Michael Allen.
with multiple “major developers” during his
tenure there while noting that many of those
same developers are working on projects in
El Segundo. Which he said will hopefully
lead to a “seamless transition” in his new
position because he will be tasked to work
with many “familiar faces” in the industry.
Lukas Quach was one of Allen’s colleagues
in Culver City. “I met Michael when I came
to work for Culver City as the Building Official
two years ago,” Quach said. “I was the
Building Official for El Segundo for about
three years before that.
“Michael is a friend and a colleague. Michael
and I were in the same Community
Development Department in Culver City,
where he managed the Current Planning
Division, and I manage the Building Safety
Division. Being that Building Safety and
Planning go hand in hand operationally, we
See Michael Allen, page 5