EL SEGUNDO HERALD May 7, 2020 Page 11
Bobbie Casey
first but warms up with just a few pets. His
brother, Smudge is the super outgoing and
brave one. They get along great with other
cats and would probably be okay with dogs.
Bobbie and Smudge will be a great addition
to your family.
Casey is an amazing little bundle of joy.
He loves to be caressed and kissed. As he
prances around, Casey looks at you lovingly,
seeking attention and affection. He is looking
for parents who can spoil him beyond
his wildest dreams. Casey wants a home that
will also adopt his sister, Emily, who is very
bonded with her brother. They are super special
kitties who deserve the best in life.
Emily is a dream. A sweet, loving little
soul, she relishes in being the center of attention.
Emily loves to help you while you are
working on the computer. She is a wonderful
assistant and provides all the support you will
ever need. Emily is looking for a home that
is as special as she is, along with her equally
special brother, Casey. This adorable charmer
will melt your heart.
These cats and kittens are available for
adoption through Kitten Rescue, one of the
largest cat rescue groups in Southern California.
All our kitties are spayed/neutered,
microchipped, tested for FeLV and FIV,
dewormed and current on their vaccinations.
Temporarily, adoption events are suspended.
For additional information and to see these or
our other kittens and cats, please check our
website www.kittenrescue.org or email us at
mail@kittenrescue.org.
With our city and state shut down, we are
faced with the delicate balance to protect our
fellow humans from the spread of COVID-19,
while continuing our mission of saving the
most vulnerable victims of the homeless cat
crisis. We know that these are hard times for
everyone. If you can give a little, it will go a
long way. They are still counting on us during
these difficult times. Your tax-deductible
donations for the rescue and care of our cats
and kittens can be made through our website
or by sending a check payable to Kitten Rescue,
914 Westwood Blvd. #583, Los Angeles,
CA 90024.
Saving one animal won’t change the world,
but the world will surely change for that
animal. •
Purrrfect Companions
Apple Cherry
Every second of every minute of every day, a
helpless animal is put to death just because no
one was there to take them home. Give them
second chance for love when you adopt one
of these precious kitties. You can also check
out their friends on our website – www.kittenrescue.
org
Apple is a beautiful calico kitten. At
just three weeks old, Apple wound up at a local
shelter with her three siblings. A Kitten Rescue
foster parent picked them up and brought them
home. Because Apple was a bottle baby, she
loves people. She is fun, outgoing and very
social. She plays and wrestles hard but when it is
time for a nap, Apple is the first one to curl up
into her foster mom’s lap. Apple is very young
and will adapt quickly to a new home. She
must be adopted with one of her siblings:
Coconut, Cherry or Rhubarb. Adoptions are
still happening in this time of social distancing!
Ask about our no-contact adoption process.
Coconut is a sweet boy with loads of
personality. As a former bottle baby, Coconut
loves people. He is extremely outgoing,
playful and silly. He loves to run around and
play with his siblings. He is also brave and
adventurous. At his young age, Coconut will
adjust quickly to a new home with one of his
siblings: Apple, Cherry or Rhubarb.
Cherry is a sweet, silly, fun girl. She has
lots of kitten energy and loves to play. As most
bottle babies are, Cherry is extremely friendly
and outgoing. She will come right up to say
hi when you enter the room. She loves to be
held, to cuddle in your lap and purr. Cherry
is ready to find a new home with one of her
siblings: Apple, Coconut or Rhubarb.
Rhubarb adores people. This little sweetheart
loves to snuggle and purr. If you are
petting him or cuddling him, Rhubarb turns
up the purr volume to extra loud! He is very
playful, loves to chase and wrestle with his
siblings, or run after toys. At just 8 weeks
old, Rhubarb will easily adapt to a new home;
he must be adopted with one of his siblings:
Apple, Cherry or Coconut.
Bobbie and Smudge are two adorable
bachelors looking for love. They are ready
to move into your place together to keep
you company and entertain you! These boys
love to play, but even more they love to get
pets and snuggle. Bobbie is a little shy at
Coconut
Smudge
Emily
Rubarb
City Council from front page
best-case scenario, Los Angeles County and
the governor would remove some restrictions
starting this month. Local commerce and
some workplaces could reopen for business
by early summer, though Lillio envisions a
slow restart. “Very slow, nowhere near normal
activity,” the finance director said. Fire
Chief Chris Donovan, who gave a COVID-19
update to the council, likened the restart to
turning a dimmer switch.
The longer it takes for the virus to peak, the
more money El Segundo will lose, the finance
director said. El Segundo stands to miss out
on $15 million in business taxes and fees if
Los Angeles County extends restrictions on
business and travel until October. The economic
damage would exceed $16 million and
hurt the General Fund into 2021 if the virus
peaks in December and the reopening of the
economy is delayed until January. “With each
scenario, the level of necessary off-setting
budget appropriation reductions, position reductions,
and service impacts becomes more
pronounced,” Lillio wrote.
The local economy was booming right
before the pandemic, and business activity
was so strong the General Fund was flush
with an extra $4 million. The virus began
to spread during February, and it interrupted
the surge in tax receipts for El Segundo. The
downturn was quick, erasing the $4 million
surplus. Coupled with those millions in taxes
and fees lost in just two months, Lillio figures
the early economic damage to El Segundo city
government reached $14 million.
Cuts could go even deeper, depending on the
speed of economic recovery. In the meantime,
El Segundo plans to reduce some maintenance
and city operations. The city will
defer capital-improvement projects at the
Teen Center, Acacia Park, and not replace
the windows at City Hall for at least another
year. The Fitness Trail at Memory Park goes
on the back burner, too. The city also plans to
transfer $3.4 million left over from last year’s
budget to the General Fund, but it’s a one-time
contribution that won’t be available again.
Councilman Lance Giroux suggested the
capital-improvement money be spent now
when construction costs are lower. That money
could be an economic stimulus for local suppliers
and businesses, including restaurants
and retail stores. The city would save by
delaying design work, and construction could
be an economic stimulus for El Segundo.
He asked the finance director to reconsider
deferring maintenance - which also increases
the cost later - and instead, going ahead with
the $300,000 replacement of fiber vault lids.
The planned upgrade at The Plunge isn’t
among the deferred projects in the mix, however,
as the city has received proposals from
several design firms. Interviews will take place
in May, and a design team for the Aquatics
Center remodel will be announced in June,
according to Mark Watkins, the acting public
works director. Ken Berkman left in April to
work as the public works director for Burbank.
His last day was April 8.
Before the coronavirus emergency was
declared, El Segundo’s economy was booming
and the city’s General Fund was flush.
While a midyear budget review is usually a
time to make small adjustments to the annual
budget, Lillio and City Manager Scott Mitnick
delivered to the council a major revision of the
city’s balanced budget, which was approved in
September. The midyear review kicks on the
budget-planning process for 2010-21, which
could involve a significant reorganization of
the city government.
The revised budget document hinted that
more draconian measures should be necessary
later this year if the coronavirus returns as expected
for a second wave. Another possibility
is the virus continues to spread throughout the
summer. The city has contingency plans for
dealing with a second wave and a deepening
local recession.
A transportation project slated for the Park
Vista senior-housing complex also may need to
be delayed. Job openings within the city will
be reviewed every other week to determine
which positions to retain or remove in the
budget-recovery process.
The city manager briefed the council about
what the finance and human resource departments
are doing to get ahead in case the local economy
doesn’t restart soon or stalls because people aren’t
ready to resume their normal activities. Some
options for further cost- and staff reductions
could include layoffs and elimination city positions,
a two-week holiday staff furloughs during
December or voluntary reduced hours if employees
request it. Mitnick said that while midyear
budget adjustments are routine, cities haven’t
been forced to make deep cuts this quickly
since the Great Recession during 2007-08. •