Subscribe at californiafuturesociety.com

El Segundo is five square miles of extremes: a small-town beach community with Fortune 500 headquarters, a refinery, three pro sports teams, toy showrooms, rocket labs, and more PhDs per capita than almost anywhere in California. Mayor Chris Pimentel pulls back the curtain on how this tiny South Bay city became one of the most dynamic economic hubs in the state and the culture within city hall. We dig into El Segundo’s advantages, the culture that attracts global innovators, and what other cities can (and can’t) copy.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

05:46 – How El Segundo punches above its weight

10:40 – Culture at city hall and lessons

17:59 – The cultural role of startups

22:15 – Reindustrializing LA

25:00 – CA housing politics

30:11 – Restoring the CA dream

35:42 – Hope for CA's future

Keywords: El Segundo, Chris Pimentel, California cities, South Bay, Fortune 500 companies California, aerospace California, hard tech startups, deep tech startups, California innovation, LA economic development, small city big economy, red carpet not red tape, municipal governance, business friendly cities, California housing policy, industrial California, California manufacturing, Los Angeles County cities, regional collaboration California, California Future Society.