The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 106, No. 34 - August 24, 2017
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................15
Classifieds............................4
Community Briefs...............5
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals............................ 16,17
Pets......................................18
Police Reports.....................5
Real Estate.........10-14,19,20
Sports.................................7,8
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
76˚/67˚
Saturday
Sunny
79˚/68˚
Sunday
Sunny
81˚/69˚
The Herald in China with Mayor
Fuentes and Some Special Company
El Segundo Mayor Suzanne Fuentes recently returned from an 11-day diplomatic trade mission to China. The trip was sponsored by China People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries as a
way to develop relations between China and the State of California. The photo shows Fuentes (with a copy of the Herald in hand) and California Treasurer John Chiang posing with Wa Yeh the Giant Panda
at the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding. Photo Credit: Simon Pang. •
City Welcomes New Recreation
Superintendent Arecia Yee
By Brian Simon
With the upcoming El Segundo Aquatics
Center in the works, not to mention bids for a
new software system under review and remaining
centennial programs to coordinate, El Segundo’s
Recreation and Parks Department is as busy
as ever. In order to help handle the influx of
activity as well as help manage a wealth of
existing facilities and programs, the City recently
hired Arecia Yee as Recreation Superintendent.
In her role assisting Director Meredith
Petit, Yee oversees the Recreation division.
The Check Out building, Clubhouse, Joslyn
Center, sports fields/facilities and The Plunge
all fall under her auspices—as will that new
aquatics complex. Her division also handles
special events ranging from the Halloween
Frolic to the Fourth of July celebration. “I feel
the Recreation Superintendent has a duty to be
a strong leader for staff,” Yee said. “Being a
strong leader means to assist staff with personal
as well as professional development and to
provide the necessary tools for team members
to be successful at their jobs. As Recreation
Superintendent, it is also necessary for me to
be a community advocate and make sure that
the Recreation division is providing quality
School Board Hears Presentation
on District Facility Needs
By Duane Plank
With less than a week before opening
day on El Segundo Unified School District
(ESUSD) campuses, members of the
School Board were privy Tuesday night
to a presentation made by Superintendent
Melissa Moore regarding current and future
District facility needs, with the possibility
of a school bond measure being placed
on the ballot in June of 2018 looming in
the background.
The District’s Long-Range Facility
Master plan (LRFMP), a 10-year look
forward to the future of the ESUSD, was
initially rolled out at a Board meeting in
July 2016. Moore’s presentation Tuesday
night delineated the goals of the plan,
which are to identify the most important
facilities needs to provide healthful, safe
and top-notch facilities that enhance the
District’s instructional programs.
Moore noted that the top priorities are
safety and security, as well as bolstering
21st Century learning needs. The LRFMP
has identified currently more than $92
million in facility needs. No decisions
have been made now, she said, with all
funding options—including the potential
bond measure--being considered.
Among the perceived District needs
are the repair and modernization of aging
classrooms and school facilities and
infrastructure. El Segundo High School,
customer service and extraordinary lifelong
learning opportunities for our residents.”
Yee noted that her most immediate short-term
goal is to spend time getting to know the
individuals on her team. This includes not just
See Arecia Yee, page 15
See School Board, page 4