Tag Archives: letter

A city saved – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Marc Zimet

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Mike

A city saved

As a 16-year civil defense attorney, there is no question in my mind that the settlement with Macpherson is exceptional for Hermosa. We now face, at most, $17.5 million in exposure. For 14 years, we faced potential exposure of $750 million, and the lawsuit hung over our city like a black cloud.

Hermosa faced bankruptcy; it no longer does. The chance of losing at trial was significant and there would be no escaping a significant judgment against Hermosa.

Bankruptcy would curtail the city and its residents from deciding many issues concerning city governance because a bankruptcy trustee would be intimately involved with all such decisions after liquidating some of the city’s assets. … Continue reading →

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Unsuitable suits – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Jenny Hughes

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Mike

Unsuitable suits

Thankfully I’m the mother of two young men who have already finished high school because if I had two girls who wanted to play beach volleyball, I’d have to say no. I could only shake my head at the photo of the Mira Costa girls’ beach volleyball team. What are these parents thinking? One of these girls is a freshman; that would make her at least 14. I would be petrified to allow my 14-year-old, let alone 16 or 17, to parade around in such a revealing suit. … Continue reading →

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City Manger’s Misconduct – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Mike

City Manger’s Misconduct

New evidence of fired City Manager Doug Willmore’s misconduct was revealed with the latest public records release of city documents and emails (available at ElSegundo.org and PublicSafetyProject.org).

Willmore politicized City Hall. His secretary, Mickie Tagle, used city-paid time and public resources to do political opposition research against Chevron and against residents who criticized Willmore’s efforts to shakedown Chevron for an additional $10 million per year in taxes. One email showed she even tried to dig up dirt on me! Finance Director Deborah Cullen was also enthusiastically involved in Willmore’s shakedown efforts.

The emails show Willmore was doing Mayor Eric Busch’s bidding, taking direction from Busch in his attempt to extort more money from Chevron, without a majority of Council members even knowing about it. The city manager is legally required to take direction only from a majority vote or consensus of the City Council. Busch and Willmore targeted Chevron because they “can’t move” their refinery, and because of environmental politics.

The emails also show the fire and police unions have been behind this push to raise taxes to pay for their wildly excessive and unsustainable compensation and pensions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Beach Reporter Letters, Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo News, El Segundo Tax and Fee Increases, Firefighter and Police Union Compensation and Pensions, Letters to the Editor, Union Corruption | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on City Manger’s Misconduct – Letter to the Beach Reporter by Michael D. Robbins

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

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Mike

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 →

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

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Mike

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

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

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 →

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

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

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

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

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 →

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Collaboration and Careful Consideration – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by former mayors

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Collaboration and Careful Consideration

As former mayors, we have all experienced firsthand the need to make tough decisions necessary to safeguard the well being of the city and its people. While circumstances differed during each of our tenures, there was consistently a collaborative effort of the Council and community to develop fair, reasonable means of meeting our town’s needs.

The process surrounding the acreage tax increase contradicts the successful tradition of discussing fiscal needs with stakeholders, diffusing potential conflicts and crafting effective solutions the community can support. The introduction of this item lacked transparency, and it’s unclear whether all council members were even aware that City staff was working on the issue. Uses of the revenues were not clearly defined. Proceeds of the tax will go into the general fund with no restrictions on how they will be spent and no accountability to taxpayers.

Finally, the entire process to rush this tax to the ballot will take less than one month, not nearly enough time to get this right. … Continue reading →

Posted in Doug Willmore's Great Chevron Shakedown, El Segundo, El Segundo Herald Letters, Letters to the Editor | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Collaboration and Careful Consideration – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by former mayors

Table Tax Increase Proposal – Letter to the El Segundo Herald by Bill Watkins

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Mike

Table Tax Increase Proposal

As a 40-year resident of El Segundo I’m baffled and somewhat distressed by the City Council’s attempt to increase taxes on Chevron by over $10 million annually. It’s unclear that this action is necessary and even less clear what the money would be used for.

Despite the City’ Manager’s statements that the funds would go for infrastructure and capital projects, it’s possible they could go to the general fund.

Further, if infrastructure is the issue, the customary route would be through bonds, not a tax increase. In my opinion, having been deeply engaged in the passage of three school bond measures and serving at one time on one of the bond citizen’s financial oversight committees, this approach would have made much more sense.

Chevron not only supported those bonds, the company is the largest payer of school bond taxes. It’s entirely likely they would have been open to a discussion about how they could support the City’s current infrastructure needs.

By choosing instead to promote a tax increase that singles out Chevron alone among all the City’s taxpayers, the Council is likely to irreparably damage its relationship with one if its strongest supporters; erode goodwill among the business community and voters alike; and face a costly, resounding defeat at the polls in April. … Continue reading →

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