EL SEGUNDO HERALD June 18, 2020 Page 9
City Council from front page
home-sharing again soon. The county’s health
officer halted short-term overnight stays to
contain the coronavirus spread, which has
contributed to nearly 3,000 deaths in Los
Angeles County.
Only homeowners who live on the premises
could register for the home-stay program. This
way, they are sharing living space with guests
and not renting out whole houses for events
and parties, the council agreed. Apartments
are a “hard no,” everyone agreed. Despite
concerns by city staff that enforcement would
be more difficult with duplexes, the council
on Tuesday made room in the program for
duplex owners.
The moneymaking opportunity for homeowners
comes with restrictions to protect
neighbors from nuisances and hotel-like
conditions in the residential zones. This
is a home-sharing program for now, so
a whole house cannot be turned over to
visitors. Only two guests per room will be
permitted, and a homeowner must be present
during a guest stay. To participate, an owner
must sign up, agree to pay permit fees, and
follow the regulations governing noise and
guests’ behavior.
The booking sites are responsible for
collecting bed tax and paying it to the city.
Booking sites, including Airbnb and VRBO,
will be asked to de-list El Segundo homes
that aren’t enrolled in the program. The
city expects the site to deliver a quarterly
report, which code-enforcement officers
and the finance department will use to catch
any cheaters.
Supporters, including Elaine Hopkins, who
wrote a letter urging the council to create
the pilot program, say that home-stays provide
seniors with income to remain in their
homes. Hopkins added that it could help
local businesses, too.
It’s estimated that 30 to 50 home-stay hosts
would join the 15-month program. The fees
and bed taxes are expected to cover the costs
of running the pilot, according to Sam Lee,
the planning and building safety director.
The city’s primary costs are a consultant to
monitor the rental activity and complaints,
and some overtime for code-enforcement on
weekends, he explained.
The countdown toward the long-awaited
remodel of the Plunge officially begins this
week. El Segundo had decided to award
the Methun architectural firm a $130,000
contract to create a modern design for the
art-deco swim stadium. Named for former
U.S. Olympic water polo coach Urho Saari,
the Plunge was built in the 1940s and is need
of major mechanical and structural repairs
to the pool, according to the design firm.
The city has budgeted $5 million to remodel
and find new uses for the site’s two pools,
lobby, stadium seating and locker rooms.
With the completion of the Wiseburn pool,
the city promised to explore new uses for the
Plunge beyond water polo and competitive
swimming. The Methun team will collect
feedback from the community, which will
be incorporated into the redesign, according
to its proposal.
“It’s been a dream of a lot of community
members, and we’re closer and closer, which
is exciting,” said Meredith Petit, the city’s
Parks and Recreation director. The Methun
design group has a 40-year history in Los
Angeles County, refurbishing the historic
Robert Frost Auditorium in Culver City and
the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. The
team is experienced at modernizing pool and
recreational venues, according to its winning
proposal for the design and communityengagement
work ahead. The renovation and
remodel is expected to be completed within
18 to 24 months.
Petit also announced that the city’s pools
would reopen by July 1. They’ve been closed,
along with playgrounds and sports leagues,
due to the COVID-19 orders from the state
and county. Recreation staff expects when
the skate park is allowed to reopen, socialdistancing
requirements will limit the number
of skaters to six at a time, Petit said.
It’s possible that AYSO soccer will be allowed
to take the field this fall, she added.
Spring sports leagues are holding out hope
for a modified, shortened season beginning
in July. However, it depends on the county,
which shut down contact sports and those
involving shared equipment, including baseball,
basketball, and volleyball.
And finally, El Segundo, as of this week,
had recorded 39 positive cases with no known
deaths. Fire Chief Chris Donovan said Tuesday
that 1,147 El Segundo residents have
tested, with 3.3 percent having the virus. The
countywide rate for positive tests is running
at 8 percent, the fire chief said. •
Finance from page 5
owners applied with no way of utilizing them
because their business cannot reopen under
the strict guidelines imposed on the industry.
• Alternate cash sources: Borrow from a
401(k) or IRA to keep businesses afloat, as
it does not need to be paid back for at least
3-6 years. However, pulling money out of a
retirement plan comes with some risk, such
as if the business does not see profitability,
then retirement funds were wasted on a failed
business venture.
• Beware of increasing liabilities: Because
insurance will not cover claims brought under
COVID, reopening comes with risk and
business owners are wondering how they
will operate under strict COVID-19 related
guidelines and still make a profit. Now is
the time to pivot and reset.
• Consider restructuring: Set up your business
in the right entity and state. Mistakes in
formation or taxation can have a lasting negative
impact on business growth and viability. Before
starting a new business, consider the best structure
for asset protection and tax minimization.
For example, a limited liability company (LLC)
gives business owners time to operate at a loss
for the first few months and write off the loss
on their individual 1040 forms against other
forms of income. There are different entity
funding options with protection ramifications.
• Utilize Privacy Shield Protection by
creating anonymity with trusts.
COVID-19 has shown that many businesses
aren’t prepared for worst-case scenarios and
make common mistakes that can affect their
ability to grow and borrow money. If approached
strategically, small- to medium-sized
businesses can take this time to implement
changes and help their operations succeed
and thrive. •
“A small business is an
amazing way to serve and leave
an impact on the world you live in.”
– Nicole Snow
Seniors from page 5
stay informed in order to detect signs of fraud.
Added isolation can increase vulnerability to
falling victim to a scam.
• Consult with family members and friends
prior to acting on a request for funds.
• Assign a trusted contact.
• The Social Security Administration is not
suspending benefits and will never request
payment to receive them.
• Perform extra due diligence when making
investment choices. If it sounds too good to
be true, it probably is.
People are turning to the internet for upto
date information about COVID-19 and to
purchase goods that either cannot be found in
stores or as an alternative to shopping in person.
To take advantage of this, fraudsters set up
websites to offer goods or services, such as
protective gear (gloves and face masks), cleaning
products, vaccines, testing kits and home
delivery services. They then use these sites
to collect payment and personal information
with no intention of delivering the goods and
services. This data is used by the fraudsters,
or sold to other criminals on the dark web.
• Visit the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), or coronavirus.gov, or contact
your physician for information regarding
COVID-19.
• Avoid visiting pages offering cures or
vaccines.
• Go directly to websites by entering a trusted
URL address into your browser.
• Avoid using phone numbers for companies
found through general web searches.
• Read site reviews regarding product delivery
and purchases. The reviews may indicate if a
site is selling counterfeit products.
Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending
emails or texts purporting to be from reputable
sources to persuade individuals to reveal personal
information, such as login credentials.
• Be suspicious of any email or text that
requests your personal information.
• Hover over links to check validity, or visit
websites directly by entering a known URL
address into your internet browser before logging
in or accessing material.
• Help ensure a website is secure before
entering personal information.
• Do not click or download suspicious or
unknown attachments, and be wary of attachments
even from people you know.
Impersonation fraud schemes are used by
impostors to obtain personal information and
request fraudulent payments. The scam may
begin with a phone call, email, computer popups,
text or other communication. Fraudsters are
employing pandemic-related robocalls, claiming
to be associated with charities, insurance
companies or businesses offering products or
cures. Some calls even offer cleaning services
for your home. Impostors may pretend to be
government officials and try to capitalize on
the extended tax-filing date and proposed
economic-stimulus checks.
• Avoid answering calls from unknown
numbers.
• Hang up if you do answer a call that’s
unusual. Don’t press any buttons because this
could lead to more calls.
• Don’t supply personal, account or payment
information, especially if you feel you’re being
pressured.
• Never send money in response to a robocall
or social media message.
For information on more ways to educate
and protect yourself and your elderly family
members from cybercrimes, visit schwab.com/
schwabsafe/security-knowledge-center. •
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE INVITING SEALED BIDS
FOR THE
FY 19/20 PAVEMENT
REHABILITATION PROJECT
IN THE CITY OF EL SEGUNDO
PROJECT NO.: PW 20-01
The City of El Segundo is accepting
sealed bids in the City Clerk’s office,
350 Main Street, El Segundo, California
90245, until 11:00 a.m. on:
TUESDAY, JULY 7, 2020
at which time they will be publicly opened.
Bids will not be accepted after that time.
As described in the Bidding Documents,
the bids are for a public works project
(“Project”) which consists of traffic
control, centerline tie surveys, asphalt
cold milling, hot mix asphalt paving,
manhole adjusting, valve cover adjusting,
striping and pavement markings, and
related work. The construction shall take
place between August 24 and October
16, 2020.
Work on the Project must be performed
in strict conformity with Specifications No.
PW 20-01 as adopted by the El Segundo
City Council on June 16, 2020 which is
filed with the Public Works Department.
Contractors bidding the project shall
provide a minimum of five government
agency references, preferably municipal,
for building similar projects (in terms
of scope, size, type, magnitude and
complexity), as the prime contractor in
the past five (5) years. Bidders shall
include references, etc. to demonstrate
qualifications.
Copies of the Plans, Specifications,
Contract Documents and Engineer’s
estimate are available from the
Engineering Division of the Public Works
Department, City of El Segundo, 350
Main Street, El Segundo, California,
90245. Plans And Specifications are
alternately available electronically via
https://www.elsegundo.org/government/
departments/public-works/requestpublic
works-bid
A MANDATORY pre-bid meeting is
scheduled for Monday, June 29, at
10:00 AM. The meeting will be held at
the northwest corner of the E. Imperial
Avenue/California Street intersection
in El Segundo, CA 90245. Failure to
attend the mandatory meeting will
disqualify your bid. Appendix 5 shows the
project streets. All questions regarding
the project are due to https://www.
elsegundo.org/government/departments/
public-works/request-public-works-bid by
Tuesday, June 30, 2020, at 3:00 pm.
The terms and conditions for bidding on
the Project are described in the attached
Bidding Instructions.
This project requires payment of State
prevailing rates of wages for Los Angeles
County. The contractor must post copies
of the prevailing schedule at each job
site. Copies of these rates of wages are
available from the State of California
Department of Industrial Relations
Prevailing Wage Unit, Telephone No.
(415) 703-4774. The website for this
agency is currently located at www.dir.
ca.gov.
Note that the Project is subject to
compliance monitoring and enforcement
by California Department of Industrial
Relations. Pursuant to California law, the
City must find bids failing to comply with
all applicable Labor Code requirements
including, without limitation, Labor
Code §§ 1725.5 and 1771.4 to be
nonresponsive.
The contractor to whom the contract
is awarded must assist in locating,
qualifying, hiring and increasing the
skills of minority group employees and
applicants for employment, as set forth in
Executive Order 11246 and 11375.
Any contract entered into pursuant to
this notice will incorporate the provisions
of the State Labor Code. Compliance
with the prevailing rates of wages and
apprenticeship employment standards
established by the State Director of
Industrial Relations will be required.
Affirmative action to ensure against
discrimination in employment practices
on the basis of race, color, national
origin, ancestry, sex, or religion will also
be required.
The City of El Segundo hereby
affirmatively ensures that minority
business enterprises will be afforded full
opportunity to submit bids in response to
this notice and will not be discriminated
against on the basis of race, color,
national origin, ancestry, sex, or religion
in any consideration leading to the award
of contract.
Five percent (5%) will be deducted from
each progress payment and retained by
the City. The remainder less the amount
of all previous payments will be paid
to the Contractor. Pursuant to Public
Contracts Code (“PCC”) § 22300, the
Contractor may substitute securities
for retention monies held by the City or
request that the City place such monies
into an escrow account. The Contractor
is notified, pursuant to PCC § 22300,
any such election will be at Contractor’s
own expense and will include costs
incurred by the City to accommodate the
Contractor’s request.
In entering into a Public Works contract,
or a subcontract, to supply goods,
services, or materials pursuant to a public
works contract, the Contractor, or Sub-
Contractor, offers and agrees to assign
to the awarding body all rights, title and
interest in, and to, all causes of action it
may have under Section 4 of the Clayton
Act (15 U.S.C. Section 15) or under the
Cartwright Act (Chapter 2 [commencing
with Section 16700] of Part 2 of Division
7 of the Business and Professions Code),
arising from purchases of goods, services,
or materials pursuant to the public
works contract or the subcontract. This
assignment shall be made and become
effective at the time the awarding body
tenders final payment to the Contractor,
without further acknowledgment by the
parties.
Bids must be prepared on the approved
Proposal forms in conformance with the
Instructions to Bidders and submitted to
the City Clerk, 350 Main Street, City of
El Segundo, in a sealed envelope plainly
marked on the outside:
FY 19/20 PAVEMENT REHABILITATION
PROJECT
“SEALED BIDS FOR PROJECT NO.: PW
20-01
IN THE CITY OF EL SEGUNDO
DO NOT OPEN WITH REGULAR MAIL”
The bid must be accompanied by a bid
bond, made payable to the City of El
Segundo for an amount no less than ten
percent (10%) of the amount bid for the
base contract.
No bid will be accepted from a Contractor
who has not been licensed in accordance
with the provisions of the State Business
and Professions Code. For these
projects, those acceptable classes of
license shall be “A” and “C-12”. The
successful Contractor and his Sub-
Contractors will be required to possess
the correct license for their project
classifications, and valid City Business
Licenses from the City of El Segundo.
The City of El Segundo reserves the
right to reject any or all bids, to waive
any irregularity, and to take all bids under
advisement for a period of ninety (90)
calendar days.
Any contract entered into pursuant
to this notice shall become effective
or enforceable against the City of El
Segundo only when the formal written
contract has been duly executed by the
appropriate officer(s) of the City of El
Segundo.
DATED this 18th day of June , 2020 .
CITY OF EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA
Tracy Weaver, City Clerk
El Segundo Herald Pub. 6/18, 6/25/20
H-26803