The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 70, No. 35 - September 2, 2021
The Inglewood Chamber of Commerce Hosted
its 15th Annual Police and Fire Appreciation Day
Due to COVID-19, the Police and Fire Appreciation Day had to be postponed last year, but organizers of the event said that they knew they had to put this event on this year even if it was on a bit smaller scale. The Inglewood Chamber gave out 300 meals grab-and-go style
to first responders in the area to show their appreciation and had local business Antojitos supply the drinks. Photo courtesy Inglewood Chamber of Commerce.
Michael Allen from front page
worked together on many projects. Michael
is great to work with because he is smart and
can grasp complex ideas and concepts quickly,
and he has a strong work ethic.
“Michael is a forward thinker, who can
build consensus,” continued Quach. “He is
also a very effective communicator, who can
convey his ideas and persuade his audience
to share his vision and manage not to alienate
those who do not. At the granular level,
aside from his mastery of Current Planning,
he is also very knowledgeable of the other
Community Development Services functions
and has a solid operational understanding of
the various components, including Advance
Planning, Building Safety, Code Enforcement,
and Economic Development.
“Michael is a genuinely nice guy and easy
to get along with,” Quach added. “He was
well respected by all of his coworkers here,
those that worked under him and those that
worked above him as well. People say nice
things about him behind his back.”
Before his tenure in Culver City, Allen spent
five years working for the city of Cudahy,
wherever that is. Allen toiled as the Community
Development Manager. He said that
Cudahy is a small city and that he and other
city employees, because they were short-staffed,
were tasked with wearing “many hats” and
overseeing operations in several departments.
Of his time in Cudahy, Allen said that
“depending on what was going on that day,
dictated which hat you were wearing.” Allen’s
wearing of many job-related hats has provided
him with a solid background to further his
civic planning and development career.
Allen said that “I have always been in the
planning world,” whether it be consulting in
the private sector or working as a city employee.
“Planning is something that I have
always wanted to do; something that I live and
breathe and sleep…always been my passion.”
As mentioned earlier, Allen served a short
stint working in Mongolia. “I was always
envious of many of my colleagues who either
studied or worked abroad,” he said. When
he got the chance to work in Mongolia, he
jumped at the opportunity. He coordinated
and worked for the government bureau that
oversaw land-use planning for the entire
country. He was part of a community outreach
team that was tasked with developing
protocols to regulate land use. He said that
Mongolian’s still clings to “nomadic” culture.
He and his team were tasked to develop new
land-use policies, frameworks, and recommendations
while respecting the country’s
historical culture.
Said Allen of his short stay in Mongolia, “It
was a life-changing, eye-opening experience,”
which he credits to this day, of reimagining
how he engages with the local community.
He said that while the County of Los
Angeles has a vast sprawl, each community,
including a city like El Segundo, has unique
needs and its own identifiable culture that
differentiates it from neighboring towns.
Allen was interested in the Development
Services Manager in town for a couple of
reasons. One was that the post “was an
incredible career opportunity for me. And
I love being on the ground in the development
community where you get to create
developments and experiences,” he said while
exploring quality of life issues and looking
to improve upon them.
He is looking forward to shaping the direction
of “what El Segundo is going to be in
50 or 100 years,” noting that the city is “one
of the oldest cities in Los Angeles County.”
He sees the opportunity for him and his
team to “redefine or continue defining what
the city will be in the next century. “This is
an exciting opportunity,” he said, citing the
developmental growth possibilities available
in many corners of the city.
Allen said that the job interview process
went well. “It seemed rather quick and
efficient,” he noted, giving kudos to city administrators.
“I am thankful for that, because
sometimes you can get burnt-out” when the
interview process lags. The vision and values
were aligned, he said, between himself and
the City Hall administrators led by Mitnick.
Allen said he is initially “trying to wrap
my head around the array of developments
that are (currently) in the pipeline” and provide
troubleshooting expertise, if necessary.
In the initial part of his tenure, one of his
top priorities will be to informally audit the
processes and procedures emanating from
his department, including building permit
and planning processes.
“How can we do this in a more efficient
way, if possible, to maximize efficiencies,” he
said. He has been doing a lot of “observing
and absorbing” during his first few weeks on
the job, meeting coworkers, and learning the
intricacies of working at City Hall.
While not planning and developing what El
Segundo may look like in the next century,
Allen likes to take advantage of the SoCal
sunshine, visit the beach, hike in the Malibu
mountains, and make every other month
camping excursions. He is also a DIY guy,
tinkering around his domicile, working on
various home-based projects.
And, Allen said, he has become a supporter
of the LAFC soccer club. “A new, avid fan,”
he said, citing that he attends “about 80%”
of the team’s home matches.
Allen gets the last word or words. “I am
really thankful for this opportunity, to get to
know the community and the stakeholders,
and collaborate with the business community
and the residents,” he concluded. “It has been
an extremely warm welcome. I couldn’t ask
for anything more. I am excited to hit the
ground running, get ‘into the weeds, ’ and
hit the go button. I am looking forward to
what we can accomplish here.”•