eGundo.com’s mission is to explore the good in Gundo and a big part of the good in Gundo is the people that live here.
We recently had the opportunity to talk with Chris Pimentel, a 2018 El Segundo City Council Candidate and Risk Management Executive managing partnerships, employees, and contractors all over the world, to learn more about who he is and why he’s a shining example of the good in Gundo.
When did you move to El Segundo?
We are very fortunate to have been able to return to Los Angeles to my wife’s native South Bay. We moved here in 2012 on the recommendation of my wife’s parents and could not be happier with the community, the way of life, and the character of the city.
What do you do for a living?
My job allows me each day to attack difficult questions that businesses face: should we work internationally? How will we work internationally? What risks do we face if we invest abroad? It is exciting, intellectually challenging, and never dull.
Can you tell us something about you that people might not know?
I was a 4-Day Champion on Hollywood Squares.
What do you love most about El Segundo?
People in El Segundo are incredibly generous with their time. In many places, people are intensely preoccupied with their own lives and too busy to help one another. In El Segundo, we find ways to reach one another, donate our time and energy, and make the community better.
Can you share an example of the Good in Gundo?
You could publish a Top 10 list of these every week. Just this week I have seen:
– people take time out of Spring Break to dig up and rebuild the batter’s boxes of Walton Field so that it is ready for baseball
– people unite to find a lost class ring at the beach
– a fellow candidate fixing my sign for me!
People in El Segundo mean well and do well.
Can you tell us about your involvement in town prior to running for City Council?
I have been active on the Eagles Nest Preschool Board, Little League, Softball, Soccer, Richmond PTA events, Run for Education, and Camp Kesem for children affected by cancer.
What made you want to run for El Segundo City Council?
Working to help the community is part of being a responsible citizen. I think that there are particular challenges to the city that I can assist with and I am eager to help.
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Candidate Views Questions
We asked each candidate to provide their views on several major topics as part of the 2018 El Segundo City Council Candidate Forums (note that we limited Candidates to 400 characters for each response. Many of these questions require an in-depth response which they each gave at several Candidate Forums).
| Your views on Public Safety | |
| Public Safety is one of the three critical elements that define our City. High-quality services enable and incent our citizens to be involved, attract our thriving businesses, and allow our schools to succeed. | |
| Your views on Quality of Life | |
| Municipal governments organize our communities, provide for public safety, and set the conditions for people and businesses to succeed. Municipal governments enhance the quality of life by protecting green space in zoning, maintaining infrastructure, and not unduly burdening citizens. | |
| Your views on Education | |
| Our schools attract citizens to move here and are an enduring source of pride. Schools are indirectly influenced by the city council; their funding and operation are dictated by school boards. It is critical that the city council assists all of the schools in the city (public, private and parochial) in coordinating efforts where they align, enhancing their safety, and reinforcing their success. | |
| Your views on the School Bond Measure | |
| If ESUSD releases a school bond measure it will be important to identify its scope, intent, and terms. There are a number of capital improvements that each school requires. The last measure, Measure Q, was clearly written and allowed voters to judge it on its merits. I would like to see that level of clarity for a future bond measure as well. | |
| Your views on Infrastructure & Civic Strength | |
| Infrastructure is a manner by which cities set the conditions for their citizens and businesses to succeed. Quality roads, reliable utilities, and responsive planning are all pieces of infrastructure that foster success. The Smoky Hollow Specific Plan will be the most important infrastructure initiative of the coming year. | |
| Your views on City Finances | |
| The city’s financial planning will be dominated by the growing pension obligation. If city revenue remains unchanged, pensions will increase to 28% of the city’s budget. We have no choice but to grow our business sector with nimble economic development and responsive planning. | |
| Your views on Measure C | |
| Measure C is an ingenious way to protect El Segundo from a county sale’s tax increase. It is a tax distribution measure more than a tax increase. I support Measure C. | |
| Your views on Business Development & Retention | |
| Business is the oxygen that allows our city to thrive. It is critical that every element of our city government understands the importance retaining and attracting business. We face challenges from regional factors and a potential structural deficit. It is imperative that we grow decisively and intelligently. | |
| Your views on the new Aquatics Center | |
| The Aquatic Center is an opportunity to derive revenue from a joint-use facility. The city should engage a commercial manager to ensure the facility is utilized to its potential. | |
| Your views on Residential Development East of Sepulveda | |
| Changing zoning east of Sepulveda to allow residential housing could deprive the city of tax revenue, strain its services, and distort the way that we live. I am not in favor of it. | |
| Your views on Police & Fire Pensions | |
| We must address our pension obligation by maximizing our opportunities to grow our business sector. We derive more than 80% of our revenue from our business community. It is this commercial advantage that will allow us to grow to meet our $134 million unfunded obligations. | |
| Your views on the Lakes & the Top Golf Deal | |
| The Lakes is an important part of our community. Any steps that we take to make the Lakes commercially viable must be sensitive to the value that it brings to our quality of life. I look forward to reviewing the results of the RFP. | |
| Your views on Home Prices & Rental Costs | |
| High home prices and lack of housing capacity pose long-term risks to the city. High prices mean multiple generations living together, absentee homeowners, an aging population, and a less attractive environment for economic development. We should be aggressive with measures within our control to create capacity, whether it is mixed use zoning or attracting innovative development ideas. |
Note from the Editor: We nominated all 4 candidates as “Good in Gundo” and all but one chose to participate in our nomination. We believe all candidates who have run in the past and who will run in the future deserve the label “Good in Gundo” and look forward to featuring them as well.
Learn more about Chris at his campaign website https://chrispimentel.org/about/
