The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 107, No. 2 - January 11, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Community Briefs...............2
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals..................................13
Pets......................................16
Police Reports.....................2
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports....................................5
Weekend
Forecast
Water Polo Girls Do Swimmingly
The El Segundo High School girls varsity water polo team made waves last weekend by placing third in the Western Varsity Tournament. Photo by Julie Mullane.
City Council Members Consider
El Segundo’s Future Challenges
By Brian Simon
The last two Herald editions looked back
at the many El Segundo news highlights from
2017. This week considers the major topics
looming in 2018 and beyond, according
to the members of the City Council. Each
provided a different perspective on the challenges
School Board Gets Early Numbers
on Support for Bond Initiative
By Duane Plank
The first El Segundo School Board
meeting of 2018 included four special
presentations, three of which involved the
possible inclusion on the June ballot of a
school bond initiative. The school bond
presentation came courtesy of Tim Carty,
the managing director of the company
Piper Jaffray that specializes in investment
banking and asset management. Carty
reviewed the results of the three prior
bond measures that El Segundo voters
passed: Measure C in 1997; Measure E
in 2001; and Measure M back in 2008.
One of the interesting pieces of data
supplied by Carty was the fact that the
level of bond support had dropped from
a 77.3 percent passage rate in 1997 to
75.2 percent in 2001 and 67.35 percent
in 2008. Bonds, if aligned with state election
cycles, currently require 55 percent
plus one vote of those who cast ballots
in order to pass. Carty also lauded the
top-notch credit ratings that El Segundo
Unified School District (ESUSD) has
garnered with past bond repayments, noting
its positive ratings with established
scoring bureaus.
After the presentation, Superintendent
Melissa Moore provided some stats about
recent bond passages in the South Bay,
and how ESUSD has been, according to
Carty, “modest in our asks.”
facing the community going forward.
Mayor Pro Tem Drew Boyles sees 2018
as a “big year for El Segundo” in terms of
preparing for its financial future. Finance
Department projections estimate downward
trends in sales and use tax revenues. Those
reduced numbers combined with harsh pension
realities will be difficult to manage, Boyles
warned. “However, we are putting careful
consideration into mapping out the best path
to economic stability for our city,” he said.
Honing in on other issues, Boyles pointed
to critical decisions to be made on land use
considerations---including the evolution of
Smoky Hollow, whether to build residences
east of Sepulveda Boulevard, and current
and existing regulation of accessory dwelling
units as well as short-term rentals such
as Airbnb. “I will approach these realms of
responsibility thoughtfully while fostering my
personal goal of empowering and inspiring our
City staff,” he said. “We want our municipal
organization to be fueled by empowerment,
founded on accountability and ownership.
Developing a strategic plan and a baseline
of performance metrics by department as we
have done is a good start, but we have much
room for improvement as we come to better
understand the needs and perspective of our
residents and businesses.”
Councilmember Don Brann identified the
upcoming Measure C—and the campaign
to properly explain it--as a critical issue for
El Segundo, with voters to decide whether
or not to capture local sales tax dollars for
use in the city. “Basically this amounts to
an attempt to keep sales tax revenue in town
rather than allow the County of Los Angeles
to receive these dollars with little returned to
El Segundo,” he said. “About $9 million in
sales tax is at stake. The Council is taking
the lead to inform voters about the consequences
of failure to pass Measure C—the
loss of $9 million to the County—and help
voters understand why a yes vote is a smart
one for them and their city.”
Brann also looked to a revived effort to
bring TopGolf to El Segundo at a different
location than The Lakes at El Segundo.
“TopGolf is a lucrative enterprise providing
numerous jobs and revenue for the City as
well as another exciting venue to attract business
to El Segundo,” he said. Also in the area
of recreation, Brann hopes to see schedules
and operating procedures established—as
well as creative ways to capture revenue for
the City--at the El Segundo Aquatics Center
set to open this year at the Wiseburn High
School site.
Councilmember Mike Dugan revisited his
goals from the previous year to see if those
had been met. While fulfilling objectives of a
meaningful centennial celebration and finding
quality department head replacements, he said
the City fell short in finalizing outstanding
labor agreements that are fair, competitive,
accurate and definitive. He added that the City
See City Council, page 12
See School Board, page 14
Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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