Speakers

Robert Greene is an editorial writer covering water, drought, criminal justice reform, policing, mental health and Los Angeles County government. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in 2021 for work “that clearly and holistically examined the Los Angeles criminal justice system.” Greene previously was a staff writer for the L.A. Weekly and a reporter and associate editor for the Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Prior to becoming a journalist, he was an attorney in Los Angeles. He is a resident of Highland Park and a graduate of USC and Georgetown University Law Center.

Melita Siemak has spent over 40 years in the travel business and is owner and President of Pacific Heights Travel, a professional travel company in Manhattan Beach.  She specializes in planning individual, family, and group travel throughout the world.  She has created numerous custom itineraries to meet the individual needs of her clients in connection with experienced tour operators, cruise lines (both river and ocean), airlines, and hotels worldwide. Pacific Heights Travel is a member of ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors), and is both ARC (Airlines Reporting Company), and IATA (International Air Transportation Association) certified.

 

She knows there is no single travel destination or approach that works for everyone and that each person’s/family travel is unique to them.  She believes it is important to listen to each client’s travel vision and past experiences to help them make a decision and presents her clients with several travel options.  She is knowledgeable on destinations throughout the world from Asia to the Americas, Africa, and Europe as she has also traveled the world extensively.  

Jacki Bacharach has been the Executive Director of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments, a joint powers authority of 16 cities and unincorporated county area in the southwest portion of Los Angeles County since 1998.  Her duties include program and project management and grant administration – including oversight responsibility for the South Bay Environmental Services Center, demonstration pilot projects dealing with fleet conversion to electric vehicles and the South Bay’s Measure R and Measure M transportation programs. Special initiatives are as diverse as services for homeless and for seniors, regional broadband and climate action plan implementation strategies.  She also directs policy development, city outreach, and working with state and regional agencies on behalf of the subregion.  She does this assignment under contract with Jacki Bacharach and Associates.

 

She is also the Chair of the Los Angeles County Quality and Productivity Commission appointed by Supervisor Janice Hahn.

Previously, she served for 14 years as Mayor and Councilmember in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and on the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission (LACTC) for 12 years. (LACTC is the agency that was responsible for transportation planning in Los Angeles until 1993 when Metro was formed). She chaired the Commission’s Planning and Rail Construction Committees and the Commission itself.  She led the committees through the development of the overall rail plan for L.A. County as well as overseeing the construction of the Metro Blue and Green Lines. 

She served as the Founding Chair of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority - the five-county agency that is operating the Metrolink commuter rail system.  Additionally, she was a Founding Vice Chair for the Los Angeles-San Diego Rail Corridor Agency overseeing and improving L.A.-San Diego Amtrak service.  And, she was a charter member of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority dealing with landside access to the Ports of LA and Long Beach.  For the League of California Cities, she chaired the Transportation and Communications Committee which included technology issues.

She served as a member of the National Commission on Intermodal Transportation appointed by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Federico Peña as well as working with the Secretary as a member of President Clinton’s Transition Team Transportation Cluster Group.  In both of these positions, she was the only member from California.

Steve Goldsmith, Rotary Club Member of LAX/Hawthorne and a seasoned professional mediator and member of Mediators Without Borders  https://mediatorsbeyondborders.org/

                           Will discuss what mediation is and is not and share some of his experiences using mediation techniques to resolve disputes. This topic and speaker were chosen because many members of our club indicated that they did not understand anything about mediation and looking ahead there may be an opportunity to assist the EL Segundo School system with peer mediation.

Ryan McGarry is a producer and writer, known for Code Black (2013), Code Black (2015) and Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak (2020).

Peter Samaras, Principal Planner for El Segundo will discuss some statewide mandates relevant to environmental/climate issues, housing, etc. that El Segundo is addressing. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-samaras-5176658

Vanessa Galvan-Reddix, President of the Rotary District 5280 Cause Club Rotarians Against Human Trafficking  https://rotariansfightinghumantrafficking.org/about-us