Two Longtime City Employees Retire After Leaving Imprint

Two longtime city employees are retiring this summer and their expertise will be sorely missed by co-workers.

Marion Lagatree started working for the city part time in 1980 and coordinated Redondo's first Earth Day program. In 1982, she was promoted to a full time position of crime prevention specialist in the police department. She implemented the city's first child sexual abuse prevention program through the neighborhood watch program, something that was later done state-wide.

In  1994, Lagatree was promoted to paralegal in the city attorney's office and voluntarily went out on police domestic violence calls.

City Attorney Mike Webb said that because of Lagatree, Redondo Beach is one of only four cities in the state to have a fully implemented program of assisting victims of domestic violence. The other cities happen to be much larger: Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego.

"The reality is that people are safer, much safer because of Marion," Webb said at this week's city council meeting. "Whether it be in her efforts helping children who have been sexually abused or the women who are victims of domestic violence."

In addition to Lagatree, Silvia Campos will be leaving city hall as well. Campos arrived in the US at age 20 from Cuba on a "freedom flight" from the island in which nearly 250,000 refugees were flown to Miami between 1965 and 1971. Campos enrolled in school and took a part time job at a department store making $1.60 an hour.

Campos began working for the city in 1984, and has worked different jobs in different departments, from data entry in licensing and collections to secretary in engineering and planning departments. She will retire as a planning technician.

Planning Director Aaron Jones called Campos "one of the hardest working employees we've had."

Both Lagatree and Campos were honored for their work at this week's city council meeting.