Tag Archives: city

Video – April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters


Watch the April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters video here.

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April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum
hosted by the League of Women Voters (01h 45m)

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Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Video – April 5, 2012 El Segundo Candidates Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters

His own words – Letter to the Beach Reporter by David Burns

His own words

Before our City Council election, it’s incumbent upon every voter to verify facts before taking e-mails, editorials and hearsay as fact. I refuse to engage in the mud slinging and conjecture flooding e-mail boxes and newspapers. I’m writing now because I take issue when my name is attached to words I did not say.

When I am used to promote someone else’s opinion, I respond. Mr. Gerhardt VanDrie asked me if a petition came forward with validated signatures supporting a barrel tax, would I block it with my vote as a City Council member? My answer was, “No, I wouldn’t block any verified petition from the citizenry of El Segundo as a matter of democratic principal.”

For example, I wouldn’t have blocked Measure P although I’ve been extremely vocal against it. VanDrie’s editorial addresses other topics, which may infer my support. This action is wrong. If you want to know my opinion – ask me. If you want to verify facts about our former city manager – read El Segundo’s public records. … Continue reading

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on His own words – Letter to the Beach Reporter by David Burns

Video – Vote NO on Measure P Cartoon featuring FIRE HERO and SMART LADY



Vote NO on Measure P Cartoon featuring FIRE HERO and SMART LADY


This very funny cartoon was created by one of our Public Safety Project supporters on February 9, 2011. He took a few liberties in making the video, but it is basically correct. All the title slides containing text information are Mike Robbins’ work and contain correct information.


Measure P will permanently eliminate El Segundo’s three city-operated paramedic ambulances forever, because the Los Angeles County Fire Department does not operate paramedic ambulances, and El Segundo will permanently lose its legal grandfathered status to operate them.

This will force city residents to use out-of-town private ambulance companies with significantly increased hospital transport times and ambulance fees. The City currently only charges residents what their insurance will pay.

The following data shows that El Segundo residents rely far more on their city-operated paramedic ambulances than on firefighters putting out fires. There were zero major residential structure fires (defined as having $100,000 or more in damage) in El Segundo from January 1, 2008 through April 30 2011.

During that same period, there was an average of 828 paramedic ambulance transports of victims to a hospital per year (city-wide).

El Segundo residents will be far worse off if Measure P passes and as a result they lose their three city-operated paramedic ambulances.

This data is from public record documents obtained from the El Segundo Fire Department in May, 2011 by Mike Robbins, former El Segundo City Councilman and director of the El Segundo Public Safety Project.

If measure P passes, residents will suffer reduced paramedic services and reduced fire protection services.

Number of Major Structure Fires per Year ( > $100,000 damage ):
2008: 1 (129 Arena St. – Commercial Building fire)
2009: 0
2010: 1 (1970 E Imperial Hwy. / Raytheon Bldg. R1 – Commercial Building fire)
2011: 1* (2000 E El Segundo Blvd. / Raytheon Bldg. E1 – Commercial Building fire due to Helicopter Crash)
*Through April 30

Number of Paramedic Hospital Transports per year:
2008: 777
2009: 737
2010: 674
2011: 281*
*Through April 30


Video Transcript:

VOTE “NO” ON MEASURE P featuring FIRE HERO & SMART LADY

This is a special presentation of the Public Safety Project
PublicSafetyProject.org
YouTube.com/user/PublicSafetyProject

( Watch the cartoon. ) … Continue reading

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Video – Vote NO on Measure P Cartoon featuring FIRE HERO and SMART LADY

Video – Scott Houston in Disbanding Our Fire Department 101 with Measure P



Scott Houston in Disbanding Our Fire Department 101 with Measure P


El Segundo City Council candidate Scott Houston has completely misrepresented his true record, politics, and agenda. Houston is a tax-and-spend Progressive (ultra-liberal), not a fiscal conservative.

Houston claimed in his campaign literature that he wants to “maintain local control of our fire department”. However, as demonstrated by the video above and the links to the official El Segundo City Council meeting minutes, Scott Houston urged the City Council to enact Measure P as an ordinance that night, without letting the people vote on it, at the February 15, 2011 El Segundo City Council meeting.

Measure P will disband our local City Fire Department and force El Segundo to contract with Los Angele County for a significantly reduced level of fire and paramedic service, for at least ten years under state law, and under price, terms and service levels dictated by L.A. County under an adhesion contract mandated by Measure P, the fire union’s initiative.

Houston read a script nearly identical to the script read by Bryan Partlow, the fire union representative who sponsored Measure P because he is the only firefighter union member that lives in El Segundo. Both Houston and Partlow urged the City Council, to enact Measure P directly into law without an election, and if not then as their second choice, to schedule Measure P for a vote at an early Special Election within only a few months.

That would have given the firefighters’ union a huge unfair advantage, the union can fund and organize their campaign almost instantly, while the residents would be just ramping up their campaign after the election is over. The firefighters’ union can easily raise $100,000 or more almost instantly from among their union members, and they have dozens of volunteers to work their campaign because the firefighters only have to work two out of every six days, and they get paid to sleep.

Scott Houston was clearly upset when he spoke at the second Public Communications period, at the end of the meeting, because the City Council voted 3 to 2 to schedule Measure P for the next regular election, on April 10, 2012, when the he would run for City Council after he lobbied the Council to enact Measure P directly into law without letting the voters vote on it. Those would be the same voters that he would ask to vote for him!

And Scott Houston had proved by his own actions, that he will represent the fire and police unions rather than the voters and taxpayers. … Continue reading

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Firefighter Union Corruption, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Video – Scott Houston in Disbanding Our Fire Department 101 with Measure P

Padding the budget – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Ashleigh Teator

Padding the budget

Today I tried to take my dog to the dog park but it was closed. He had been very excited so I was going to throw the ball around with him in Dominguez Park next door since there was nobody around. Next thing I knew there was a police office there who was eager to write me a ticket.’He then called in animal control and two other police officers who proceeded to get in my face, harassing me and threatening to arrest me and impound my well-behaved miniature Schnauzer for being off-leash.

I now realize my dog technically should have been on his leash and will of course follow this rule in the future. However, I think we have too many officers with too little to do if such a small issue attracts that kind of attention. I think the city should realize that if it takes four officers to give a girl and her dog a superfluous ticket, they need to reconsider their budget for law enforcement. … Continue reading

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Government Employee Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Redondo Beach | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Padding the budget – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Ashleigh Teator

Video – February 27, 2012 El Segundo Residents Association (ESRA) Candidates Forum


Watch the February 27, 2012 El Segundo Residents Association (ESRA) Candidates Forum video here.

Click on the center of the image below.


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2012 ESRA Candidates Forum (01h 57m)

Click on the rectangle in the lower right corner for full-screen mode.
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Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo News, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Video – February 27, 2012 El Segundo Residents Association (ESRA) Candidates Forum

Scott Houston – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Illeen Joscha

Scott Houston

Even if a majority votes “NO” on measure P, as they must to save lives and money, it will take only three union-aligned Council members to unilaterally vote to implement Measure P against the will of the voters.

This is not far-fetched. Candidate Scott Houston spoke at the 2/15/11 City Council meeting, during public communications, urging the City Council to enact Measure P as an ordinance and implement it without allowing the voters to vote on it! Houston read a script closely resembling the script read by Bryan Partlow, the firefighter union member who sponsored Measure P because he is the only union member living in town.

Watch the video at the city web site at ElSegundo.org. Under Links, click on “Video”, then on “City Council Archives”, then on the 2/15/2011 Council Meeting View Video link. Or watch the Houston video at http://www.youtube.com/user/PublicSafetyProject.

Houston has campaigned as a pro-business conservative, yet he is a progressive leftist (ultra-liberal, big tax and spender). Houston was endorsed by … Continue reading

Posted in El Segundo, El Segundo Election Coverage, El Segundo Herald Letters, El Segundo News, Firefighter Union Corruption, Letters to the Editor, Measure P - Firefighters Union Initiative, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scott Houston – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Illeen Joscha

Proposed Chevron Tax Increase – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael Dugan

Proposed Chevron Tax Increase

The cooperation between business and community is one of our city’s greatest assets. Businesses not only generate most of our city tax revenues, they also provide generous support to our schools and charities. The coexistence of community and business is a sensitive relationship and, like any good relationship, requires work.

In previous years the relationship between city and business was built on fairness, openness and trust. I’m not sure that relationship exists today. The current leadership in our city appears to have a different approach. The proposed 1,000 percent acreage tax increase to Chevron is an example where the city appears to have a shoot first and ask questions later approach to working with business.

The story behind the proposed tax increase told by City Manager Doug Willmore is an interesting study. … Continue reading

Posted in Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo Herald Letters, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Proposed Chevron Tax Increase – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Michael Dugan

Tax Increase Could Be Potential Blank Check – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Floyd Carr

Tax Increase Could Be Potential Blank Check

As a lifelong resident and former mayor of El Segundo, I find the recent City Council decision to pursue a ballot measure to increase taxes on “refineries” extremely troubling, for a number of reasons.

First, the process was utterly lacking in transparency, in that the City Manager’s analysis and subsequent last-minute agendizing of the proposal was apparently initiated without all the Councilmembers’ knowledge.

Second, Chevron the sole target of the proposed tax increase was not informed until after the fact and had no opportunity to provide input or data that might have enhanced the City Manager’s understanding and assessment of the substantial combined revenues the company already provides the city.

Third, no input was solicited from … Continue reading

Posted in Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo Herald Letters, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tax Increase Could Be Potential Blank Check – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Floyd Carr

Community Values Good Neighbor Company – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Edie Rice

Community Values Good Neighbor Company

As a 16 year resident of El Segundo, I can tell you that one of the nicest things about living here what is the sense of community and connection here. Local residents devote enormous amounts of time to preserve our cherished quality of life. Local businesses provide financial and other resources to support our children, schools and non-profit groups. The Chevron refinery is at the top of the list of good neighbor companies that can always be counted on to step up when the need arises and is a major benefactor for many of the groups and events that make this a great place to live. Those needs have been significant, including the recently donated beachfront for a lifeguard station and the Fourth of July fireworks, which Chevron underwrote. They have supported school bond issues in addition to being the city’s largest payer of all taxes.

Nothing I’ve heard so far convinces me that quadrupling Chevron’s taxes overnight is in our best interest, … Continue reading

Posted in Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo Herald Letters, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Community Values Good Neighbor Company – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Edie Rice