Page 12 January 11, 2018 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
City Council from front page
was proactive in trying reduce El Segundo’s
higher than average workers’ comp and
general liability claims through training and
repairs to sidewalks and streets, but that the
results will not be known for a few years.
Considering the future, Dugan feels that service
to the community is the greatest challenge
going forward. “My concern is that decisions
made in the spirit of business development can
and do impact El Segundo residents’ quality
of life. Some are positive, but others are negative…
and I worry that we fail to adequately
address and mitigate the negative impacts some
development may have to our city. Things like
increased traffic, gridlock, needs for additional
parking and overall impacts to family life in
El Segundo can suffer if development occurs
without improving the quality of life for our
residents. The City’s number one priority
should be to always make the residents’ quality
of life tomorrow better than it is today. Our
future generations deserve it.”
Mayor Suzanne Fuentes called unfunded
pension liability and the need to reduce its
future debt accrual as the top priority for the
City. She reported that projected total pension
payments for 2017/18 are $11.2 million, or 16
percent of general fund revenues. Fast-forward
to 2021/22 and the numbers jump to $18.7
million (25 percent). “Total unfunded pension
liability is $138 million, which burdens current
and future generations with unsustainable debt,”
Fuentes said. “My priority as Mayor the past
four years has been to rein in costs through
working efficiently, using technology, determining
necessity for backfilling empty positions,
reviewing organizations and negotiating with
bargaining units.”
Fuentes lauded the hire of Randy Collins
as Emergency Management Coordinator, but
cautioned that Southern California cities are
notoriously unprepared for the “big one” that
will inevitably occur. “After a large earthquake,
it could be months before El Segundo gets
water, power, food, etc.,” she said. “We are
our own first responders, so it’s critical to
get our residents and businesses engaged to
prepare for natural and manmade disasters.”
Lastly, Fuentes emphasized that LAX
remains a challenge—as she often meets
with Los Angeles World Airports officials to
discuss noise, traffic air quality and parking
impacts. “Residential sound insulation is also
a priority,” she added. “We continuously communicate
with LAWA and the FAA [Federal
Aviation Administration] over changing their
ever-changing requirements.”
Pleased the City adopted a comprehensive
strategic plan to identify a future vision from
which to make policy decisions, Councilmember
Carol Pirsztuk said the next step
is to address growing pension liability. “In
2017, the City took initial steps to try to pay
down this looming future pension debt,” she
said. “In 2018, the City will need to continue
these initiatives, plus identify operational efficiencies
within each department through the
implementation of new technology and process
improvements.”
Secondly, Pirsztuk hopes to encourage her
colleagues to put a measure on a future ballot
giving voters a say on potential residential
zoning changes east of Sepulveda. “When
our forefathers incorporated the city, they
believed it would be a benefit to have an area
zoned for residential and an area zoned for
commercial,” she said. “This foresight has
been a boon for El Segundo and as a result
residents have been able to reap the benefits
from business tax revenue, which funds 90
percent of the budget. Currently any changes
to zoning of land east of Sepulveda will be
at the sole discretion of the City Council.
This means that three members of the City
Council will be able to change it. The decision
to change the current zoning will have a
major impact on our city and it is important
that the voters have a voice in that decision.” •
Eagles from page 5
last possession by the Vikings when Desmond
Washington’s basket near the buzzer took down
the Eagles 40-38. Lynch, who was named to
the All-Tournament team, led all scorers with
15 points and battled for nine rebounds, while
Aubert had a great game with 13 points and
six rebounds.
The Eagles are 12-4 on the season and
March points to the overall cohesiveness of
the team and the leadership of senior forward
Freeman for the team’s success. The Eagles
opened Ocean League play last night against
Culver City and are on the road at Beverly
Hills on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. They’ll
return home next Friday night, January 19, to
host Hawthorne at 7:30 p.m.
Lady Eagles Show Signs
of a Contender
If you judge the El Segundo High School
girls basketball team by its record alone, you’d
think it isn’t very successful. The Lady Eagles,
however, have played a challenging schedule
leading up to last night’s Ocean League opener
against Culver City.
The Lady Eagles have faced 10 teams with
winning records so far and played in the always
challenging Garden Grove 16-team tournament.
Malia Hui led her team to a 50-47 win over host
Garden Grove in the tournament opener with
15 points, while Reese Jones had 14 points and
eight rebounds. In their second game against a
good Woodbridge team, El Segundo couldn’t
hold on to a lead in regulation and fell 41-38.
Hui and Kailea Lee each had 11 points, while
Makaela Bordieri pulled down nine rebounds.
The Lady Eagles’ poor shooting was evident
against Sunny Hills in their third game as they
fell to one of the top Orange County teams 57-41.
Freshman phenom Storey Noble had careerhigh
12 points and Jones had a double-double
scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds
to pace El Segundo. The Lady Eagles finished
the tournament by defeating Bonita 51-46.
Hannah Chang had a career-high 20 points
(6-7 from behind the arc). Jones scored 11
points, while Kailea Lee dished out six assists.
In their final game before the Ocean League
schedule, the Lady Eagles faced St Mary’s. El
Segundo could not penetrate the tough zone
the Belles employed and it led to a 58-46
defeat. The Lady Eagles also had no answer
for the talented 6-foot-3 freshman center Liz
Elliott, who scored 22 points and controlled
the rebounding stats as well. Hui sank four
three-pointers and ended with a team-high 14
points for El Segundo.
The Lady Eagles opened Ocean League
play last night and are on the road against
Beverly Hills on Friday night and Lawndale
next Wednesday. They’ll return home next
Friday night at 6 p.m.
Caravello Gives
Lady Eagles Hope
Sophia Caravello has taken over goalie duties
for Kaitlin Rourke because of the concussion
protocol following a hit to Rourke’s head during
a game against Redondo. Caravello has
stepped in and played brilliantly and gives the
Lady Eagles hope as they start their Ocean
League schedule.
El Segundo battled CIF power Downey and
lost a close one 13-11. After being down by
as many as five goals, the Lady Eagles made
it a match and outscored the Vikings 6-1 in
the fourth quarter but still came up short.
Caravello had eight saves, most of them in the
fourth period. Jenna Olson had four goals in
the fourth quarter and ended with six goals.
Freshman sensation Christina Mullane scored
three goals, while Claire Lindsey chipped in two.
The Lady Eagles played in one of the top
Orange County tournaments and went 4-1 to
finish third in the Western Tournament. El
Segundo defeated LA City’s Cleveland 12-3,
with Mullane leading the team with four goals
and Caravello notching eight saves. El Segundo
defeated host Garden Grove 12-2, with Olson
pacing the Lady Eagles with six goals and
Caravello turning away eight shots.
Playing in the winner’s bracket, the Lady
Eagles faced Division I power Los Alamitos
and lost a physical battle 11-7. El Segundo
bounced back by defeating Valencia 7-2 with a
great defensive effort and the play of Caravello
in goal. Olson had four goals, while Lindsey
had three and Emily Wilkinson and Christina
Mullane each scored once.
In the third place game against Laguna
Hills -- a team averaging nine goals a game
-- the Lady Eagles’ stifling defense shut out
the Hawks 7-0. It was the first shutout for the
Eagles in six seasons. Mullane led the team
with four goals and Caravello preserved the
shutout with 11 saves.
The Lady Eagles enter Ocean League play
7-8 and have outscored their opponents 45-
18 in their last five games. With the defense
improving along with Caravello’s emergence,
the Lady Eagles look poised to make a run
at an Ocean League title and a big run in the
playoffs. The Lady Eagles host Beverly Hills
today at 3 p.m. •
Saving a life
from a potential catastrophe
EVERY 10 MINUTES!
aloI nlivee
but I’m never alone.
I have Life Alert.®
One press of a button
sends help fast, 24/7,
even when you
can’t reach a phone.
AS SEEN ON TV
I live alone
For a FREE brochure call:
1-866-591-7844