Posts by Mark McDermott
Wild Belle visites El Segundo’s South Bay Customs for an NPR field recording
South Bay Customs, the American motorcycle shop that seconds as an art gallery and music venue, was featured this week nationally on NPR as part of its “Field Recordings” series. The band featured was Wild Belle, a rising indie band from Chicago who have played Coachella and Lollapalooza music festivals. Brother and sister duo Elliot…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor: June 20 – 27
Stop, police Dear ER: I just read this story [“Man arrested following drive-thru quarrel”, ER June 30, 2013] and it leaves me very concerned. You have a dispute between two different parties, an accusation by a third party witness that says there was a gun involved, and neither the supposed victim, or gun has been…
Read MoreEl Segundo cuts deal for new aquatics center
The city solved two problems with a single solution last month, courtesy of the Wiseburn School District and the city’s own negotiators. Wiseburn’s proposal to build a high school in east El Segundo originally faced much opposition, both within the community and from the City Council. The concern was that the facility would cost the…
Read MoreFisher ousts Jacobson to become mayor of El Segundo
El Segundo has a new mayor. Bill Fisher, citing an urgent need for the city to proactively court new businesses, made an impassioned call for the replacement of Carl Jacobson as mayor and was subsequently chosen by his colleagues to take the city’s helm in a contentious 3-2 vote. In an unusually dramatic council meeting…
Read MoreGolf committee: The Lakes at El Segundo has value
A special committee tasked with assessing the economic prospects of city-owned golf course and driving range The Lakes at El Segundo, told the City Council Tuesday night that the facility possesses unusual financial value. Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association and one (a member) of the city’s temporary Golf…
Read MoreRiding sharks with Bob Meistrell
Setting out from the Midwest as teenagers, Bob Meistrell and his twin brother, Bill – with whom he’d created a dive helmet out of bucket and a hose as 13-year-olds in a muddy Missouri pond – arrived in California with dreams of becoming submariners and finding sunken treasures. They achieved both dreams, revolutionizing beach culture…
Read MoreLetters to the editor (June 6 edition)
City council silence Dear ER: The Hermosa City Council’s refusal to research, discuss & articulate a position prior to the culmination of a new final environmental impact report is a disservice to the community. City council members have access to staff, city managers, government regulatory agencies, city related documents and prior studies in order to…
Read MoreRedondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach: Letters to the Editor
Cohn bygone Dear ER: Two years ago, David Cohn successfully ran a hurtful and vicious campaign for Treasurer of the City of Hermosa Beach against John Workman. Cohn’s campaign was filled with lies and false statements designed to tarnish the image of the city. John had served as Treasurer in the City of Hermosa Beach…
Read MoreSouth Bay Arts Calendar: the weekend of May 17-19
Friday, May 17 Free Friday Fallen Rivera performs at Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach at “Free Friday” tonight on a bill that also features Allensworth and The Perfect Nines. 142 Pacific Coast Highway. See saintrocke.com for more info. The kids are all right “Student Show, Fine Arts, 2013” has its artists’ reception at the El…
Read MoreEl Segundo Education Foundation rallies with gala, $1 million check
The oversized $1 million dollar check that the El Segundo Education Foundation accepted on Tuesday at Center Street School represented many things. A smaller accompanying check for $100,000 actually went into the foundation’s bank account, representing the fulfillment of a five year, $1 million pledge that Rosecrans-Sepulveda Partners for Plaza El Segundo made the plaza…
Read MoreLetters to the Editor: Hermosa parking issues, Redondo election contention, Dylanfest rave
Hermosa’s parking issue Dear ER: As owner of Java Man, I can report that a lot of early morning customers park on Pier Avenue, get their coffee and go on their way. Recently, new signs prohibiting parking on Pier (on both sides) from 6 to 7 a.m. five days a week popped up. Do we…
Read MoreEl Segundo Police Chief Mitch Tavera stays on duty
Police chief Mitch Tavera could easily have called it quits. After a distinguished 31-year career in which he served in nearly every capacity on the El Segundo police force and rose to its command staff, Tavera could have safely stepped foot into civilian life and the comfortable retirement that three decades in law enforcement provides.…
Read MoreThe people of Knob Hill vs. Southern California Edison
A jury has ordered Southern California Edison to pay $4 million to a Redondo Beach resident exposed to stray voltage. But the neighborhood’s fight against the utility giant has just begun.
Read MoreDrowned elderly man found in Hermosa Beach [UPDATED]
Hermosa Beach police and L.A. County lifeguards found a fully-clothed 79-year-old man deceased on the beach off 6th Street Tuesday night just before 7 p.m. Police believe the man drowned, but have yet to determine if his death was accidental or intentional. Authorities on Wednesday morning said the man’s head had suffered visible trauma, and…
Read MoreEl Segundo’s city manager takes helm of his hometown
As homecomings go, the situation Greg Carpenter landed in a year ago wasn’t particularly sweet. Carpenter was named El Segundo’s city manager while the city was in the midst of a dispute with its historical benefactor and biggest business – Chevron, which actually named the town in 1917 after it established its second refinery here.…
Read MoreSouthern California Edison must pay $4 million to Knob Hill stray voltage victim
A Torrance courthouse jury ruled Monday that Southern California Edison must pay Simona Wilson $4 million, including $3 million in punitive damages, for its negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress relating to the stray voltage that escaped its Topaz substation and entered her home on Knob Hill in Redondo Beach. The 9-3 verdict came after…
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