EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. – April 2, 2019 – The El Segundo community and local business and political leaders gathered last week for El Segundo Mayor Drew Boyles’s first State of the City address since taking office in 2018. Mayor Boyles shared the year’s accomplishments and presented upcoming plans that will fulfill the city’s vision of being a hub for innovation.

“El Segundo is going through a significant time of transformation. We have accomplished so much this past year and I believe we are the most important five square miles of Southern California’s economy,” said Mayor Boyles. “I look forward to furthering El Segundo’s legacy as the city where big ideas take off.”

El Segundo continues to concentrate on its vibrant economic development growth and fiscal sustainability. Consistently one of the hottest commercial real estate markets in the region, El Segundo experienced about $200 million dollars in construction projects in 2018 with numerous new developments and plans, including the Smoky Hollow Specific Plan that will revitalize the Smoky Hollow district and welcome creative companies to the area.

“We are dedicated to making El Segundo the best place to live, work and visit,” said Deputy City Manager Barbara Voss. “As we diversify our industry base through our business attraction efforts and highlight our city as a Southern California hospitality and tourism destination, we look forward to welcoming new businesses and visitors to our city.”

Mayor Boyles focused on specific goals that the city has actively worked towards and met, including enhancing customer service and citywide communication, supporting community safety and preparedness, developing as a choice employer and workforce and investing in quality infrastructure and technology. These goals detail city council’s strategic approach in leading the city through an extensive planning process with all departments.

Over the past year, El Segundo has gathered feedback for improvements and has developed and strengthened programs aligned with its priorities. A citywide communications plan is in the works between all key stakeholders to ensure consistent, proactive and collaborative communications. Ongoing investment in community safety technology, training and equipment has reduced crime and decreased the El Segundo Fire Department’s response time to four and a half minutes, well below the national average of seven minutes. More than 20 projects were executed for new and existing technology to enhance services and communications.

The city is focused on employee development, training and wellness and launched a leadership development academy last year to offer employees at all levels the opportunity to learn the skills needed to become future leaders. “We want our employees to feel inspired and engaged when they come to work every day and we are doing more to celebrate and recognize the hard work and accomplishments of our stellar staff,” said Human Resources Director David Serrano.

El Segundo is a leader in aerospace, professional sports, media and biotech and is home to noteworthy dining, shopping and hotel options. Through the launch of two new websites with digital advertising campaigns, the city has positioned itself as an attractive location for both business relocation and expansion and for travelers to experience local attractions.

Presented by the El Segundo Chamber of Commerce, the event was held on Wednesday, March 27 at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo. The Los Angeles Air Force Base is headquarters to the Space and Missile Systems Center and has a $1.8 billion economic impact to the Los Angeles region.

Sponsors of this year’s event include: Chevron, Continental Development Corporation, Los Angeles World Airports and Raytheon.

# # #

About the City of El Segundo:
The city of El Segundo is a thriving coastal community in southwestern Los Angeles County. Recognized as the aerospace capital of the world, it is renowned for maintaining a quaint, small town atmosphere as well as a vibrant economy that includes leaders in aerospace and defense, bioscience, information technology, energy, real estate and creative media. The city has seen tremendous growth and evolution over the past several years and is home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Air Force Base. For further information regarding innovative businesses in the city of El Segundo and destination information, please visit www.elsegundobusiness.com and www.destinationelsegundo.com.

CONTACT:

Austin Ruth, Ballantines PR 310-454-3080 austin@ballantinespr.com