BALDINO

Our residential neighborhoods occupy about one square mile. East of PCH is our business district that is home to world-class aerospace, technology, and Fortune 500 companies. Those businesses generate the revenue that helps fund our parks, public safety, and the high-quality services our residents enjoy. Preserving that balance between our neighborhoods and our economic base has been one of El Segundo’s greatest strengths.

Like every city in California, El Segundo is required to plan for additional housing through the State’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process. In the prior cycle (2013–2021), El Segundo’s allocation was 69 units. For the current cycle (2021–2029), that number jumped to 492 and in addition to a 29-unit shortfall from the prior cycle, now totaling an allocation of 521 new units. At the same time, new state laws continue to reduce local control over how communities grow.

Every development decision affects traffic, parking, infrastructure, public safety, schools, neighborhood character, and quality of life for decades to come. Those aren’t decisions that should be made hastily or driven solely by state mandates. They require careful planning, public input, and an understanding of how one zoning decision today can shape an entire neighborhood tomorrow.

My fourteen years on the Planning Commission, including seven years as Chair, helped me develop this clear perspective. I’ve spent years working with our zoning code, evaluating development proposals, and balancing the need for growth with the responsibility to protect what makes El Segundo special. Those experiences have shown me that good planning is about making smart decisions that serve both current and future generations.

The City has already received State approval for its current Housing Element, and the next planning cycle is already approaching. With future housing requirements likely to increase, these decisions will become even more important.

As your Councilmember, I’ll continue approaching them with the same philosophy I’ve always had by striving to meet our housing obligations, welcoming thoughtful and well-designed projects, and making every decision transparently, responsibly, and with a long-term vision for El Segundo.

On the City Council, I’ve continued that work by strengthening the partnership between the City and ESUSD. That includes the City’s long-standing support for our schools through library services, crossing guards, and police services, and it includes the joint use agreements that let our school and City facilities serve both students and the broader community. I’ll keep working to make sure the City and ESUSD maintain a collaborative relationship that keeps our community strong.

It’s also one of the toughest, because it means balancing real needs against real limits. Public safety is the largest piece of our City budget, and funding decisions made today don’t just affect one budget cycle, they create long-term obligations. Our City has taken responsible steps toward addressing unfunded pension liabilities, and I’ll continue that work to guarantee our financial obligations are met, and our safety services are funded wisely.

In March 2023, shortly after I was seated on the dais, I formed the Hyperion Ad Hoc Subcommittee with fellow Councilmember Carol Pirsztuk and the City’s Environmental Committee chair, Tracey Miller-Zarneke, meeting weekly to keep constant pressure on the plant’s operator, LA Sanitation. That pressure fed directly into Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s AB 1216. I traveled to Sacramento to testify in person about the toll Hyperion’s odors were taking on El Segundo families and why AB 1216 was needed to help inform the community. Governor Newsom signed AB 1216 into law on October 10, 2023, which mandates the fence-line monitoring for hydrogen sulfide remains a permanent requirement going forward, with the data shared publicly in real time.

The Hyperion Ad Hoc Subcommittee also hosted a community town hall with AQMD, giving residents a direct line to the agencies responsible for Hyperion oversight. Representatives from Senator Ben Allen’s office, Congressman Ted Lieu’s office, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi’s office, LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s office, and the LA County Department of Public Health all answered directly to El Segundo residents. Ahead of the meeting, the community submitted more than 50 questions in advance, organized around Hyperion Operations, Health Concerns and Legislation, and Overview and Enforcement. The town hall addressed what residents were actually asking.

Our relationship with Hyperion has improved while I’ve been on Council, but it is still not perfect. We continue to call for accountability and transparency from the plant. It is imperative to keep asking hard questions, keep touring the facility, keep checking on its ongoing operations, and keep open lines of communication with Hyperion.

This wasn’t a small undertaking. The renovation was a $16 million investment of our tax dollars, with community fundraising support from the nonprofit South Bay Sports, Health and Recreation and residents helping to fill the gap.

As a member of the City’s Aquatics Subcommittee, I was proud to help see this long-awaited project through, monitoring construction and reviewing progress reports on the renovation. A project this size needed real accountability, which is why I pushed to have updates on cost, schedule, and scope tracked and shared with the public on the City’s website. You can see the renovation photos on the City’s website.

The Plunge is open again for swim lessons, open swim, and community events, and yes, it still has the diving board. The locker rooms now meet today’s needs and safety standards, and the renovation preserved the historic art-deco character that makes the building a treasured public facility. It’s exactly the kind of project that makes El Segundo special, protecting our history while investing in our future.

The Plunge is just one part of a much bigger picture. Our Capital Improvement Program has identified nearly $88 million in facility and infrastructure needs over the next few years, including renovations to our Teen Center and skate park, upgrades to drainage and irrigation for our ball fields, and much-needed improvements to the Joslyn Center. These are the kinds of long-term projects that make a real difference for our community, and I’m committed to seeing them through with the same transparency and accountability we brought to The Plunge.

The reservoir, built in 1955, had been out of service for decades. Rather than leaving this City-owned property fenced off and unused, I supported converting it into an extension of Hilltop Park that future generations of El Segundo families can enjoy.

This is more than a demolition project. It’s an investment in our community. By removing obsolete infrastructure and replacing it with open green space, we’re creating new opportunities for recreation and community gatherings while expanding one of El Segundo’s parks.

Most park projects renovate existing facilities. This project actually increases the amount of public green space available to our residents, making it a once-in-a-generation investment in our quality of life.

The City’s project includes demolishing the abandoned 1.75-million-gallon reservoir, leveling the site, and preparing the area for new landscaped open space with turf and irrigation. Construction began in January 2026 with the installation of drainage and irrigation required for a park expansion. The neighboring Hilltop Park, Hilltop Pool and the public parking remain open throughout construction.

This project reflects my commitment to thoughtful planning, responsible stewardship of public assets, and preserving the exceptional quality of life that makes El Segundo such a special place to call home.

Learn more about the Hilltop Park expansion on the City’s website, under City of El Segundo: Abandoned Reservoir Demolition Project.