Page 2 August 13, 2015 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Herald in France School Spotlight By CeCe Stewart This weekend at the Special Olympics World Games there were not only athletes performing, but another star was shining bright. El Segundo High School’s Valena Kofler danced on the main stage at USC during the World Games with her dance troupe Free 2 Be Me Dance! Valena is going to be a sophomore at ESHS next year, and has been attending school in El Segundo all of her life. She is an amazing person. If you have ever met her, you will have known that she is incredibly kind, extremely outgoing, and very funny. She brightens up every room she walks into with her smile, and watching her dance was a true inspiration. Valena is empowered by her special needs, and shines with such confidence. I am proud to say that she was front and center during the whole performance bringing sass and sparkle to the performance. Not only did she shine bright, but she was a gracious teammate, cheering on her fellow performers with unbridled enthusiasm during their free style solos. Valena’s dance troupe is called Free 2 Be Me Dance, and it is a group specially designed for kids with Down Syndrome who live in Los Angeles. They take an adaptive ballet class, founded by Colleen Perry, a former ballet dancer, and a current Marriage and Family therapist. Colleen founded this after reading an article about Boston Ballet’s adaptive dance program that worked with Children’s Hospital Boston. In class, the kids are able to learn dance movements, coordination, and how to follow directions in these classes. They get to have fun, be accepted, build confidence and strength, and build meaningful and true connections with their fellow dancers and teachers. Valena and her dance troop surely exemplified the mission of Free 2 Be Me Dance: “Appreciation of music, self-confidence, enhanced self-esteem, learning how to work together as a class, learning to help and encourage one another, following directions, learning left from right, separate upper and lower body movements, coordinating movements to stop and start on cue, improving focus, adding movements they have invented, improved balance, coordination, posture and alignment, and increased pride in their accomplishments, in an emotionally safe environment.” Valena was a true example performing at the World Games stage of what El Segundo teaches its students... be the best you, shine with confidence, live life with joy, and reach for the stars. Congratulations Valena on this accomplishment- dancing in this once in a lifetime opportunity, as a performer at the Special Olympics World Games #LA2015. #Reach Up. • Mike Vowles holds up the Herald and the Tribune in Lake Annecy, France, where he and his wife Sally were on vacation. Photo by Sally Vowles. • Ou r SPACES come in all SIZES. ALONG THE ROSECRANS CORRIDOR IN EL SEGUNDO/ MANHATTAN BEACH CONTINENTAL PARK A project of CONTINENTAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 2041 Rosecrans Ave., El Segundo, CA 90245 • Amenity Rich Location • Convenient Access to Metro Rail System, 405 & 105 Freeways • 10 minutes to LAX • Professional Property Management on Site • It’s Not Just a Location; It’s a Lifestyle! www.continentaldevelopment.com For Leasing Information, call 310.640.1520 ESHS Sophomore Valena Kofler Valentina Kofler, sophomore at El Segundo High School, who danced with her troupe Free 2 Be Me Dance! at the Special Olympics World Games. Photo by CeCe Stewart. Budget from front page in revenues) the City must maintain in its reserves per policy. At the end of the day for the current fiscal year, the City estimates a “surplus” of $1.5 million that can if necessary be used towards balancing the following year’s budget if a shortfall arises. The 2015/16 budget, also touched upon in a recent overview of the Council’s August 3 strategic planning session, includes assumptions for significant revenue increases in property taxes ($342,900) with the local real estate market and assessed values at an all-time high, transient occupancy taxes ($650,200) on the upswing with multiple new hotels opening over the next 15 months, and sales tax/sales tax in lieu jumping $2.2 million due to an improved economy and the imminent end of California’s “triple flip” mechanism that will boost the percentage of the City’s sales tax take. Conversely, the budget assumptions also factor in a $600,000 decrease in gas utility tax revenues because of the lingering reduction in the price of natural gas—just another example of difficult-to-predict market volatility impacting the bottom line. Increases in health insurance ($150,000), accrued vacation and sick leave pay ($320,000), salaries and benefits ($497,600 given several new hires on the books) and various non-personnel costs such as supplies, insurance and contracted services will drive up expenditures next year. In the coming weeks, the Council will decide whether to continue setting aside $750,000 for economic uncertainty, $350,000 for facility maintenance and $200,000 for equipment replacement— although staff included each of these items in the budget assumptions. Base budget estimates as reported from strategic planning showed a preliminary 2015/16 surplus of $247,000, but did not include the costs for a long list of critical department head requests and as many as 11 potential capital improvement projects that could turn the initial plus column into a hefty deficit exceeding $3.5 million. The Council will make determinations on these items when it convenes again at the second strategic planning session set for August 31. It may also consider new revenue-generating options such as an April ballot measure to increase the TOT. The 2015/16 budget assumptions use current employee salary numbers, though the expenditure outlay will decrease if future labor deals yield concessions. Negotiations with the unions continue with no resolution as of yet. However, the City and the bargaining units for police and fire personnel recently agreed to post contract proposals/counterproposals online. About a month ago on its website, the City provided PDF documents outlining salaries and benefits for El Segundo public safety employees compared to other municipalities, as well as a total compensation survey, CalPERS employer contribution rates per year, and consumer price index information. • Burkley & Brandlin LLP A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litiga tion 310-540-6000 Lifetime El Segundo Residents *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization Brian R. Brandlin • Bruce R. Brandlin • Christopher P. Brandlin 18th Annual Movie In The Park Event a Huge Success The El Segundo Rotary Club held its 18th Annual Movie in the Park, the club’s largest public event of the year, Saturday, August 1st. The gates to Chevron Park opened at 4:00 p.m. to a steady stream of families and kids of all ages, many dressed in their favorite Frozen costume. This year’s Movie in the Park drew one of the largest crowds ever in the history of the annual event. Movie-goers were treated to a fun evening viewing Disney’s Frozen Sing-A-Long on one of the largest screen of its kind in the country! Thousands of movie goers filled the grounds enjoying the picnic, festival-like environment. The Movie in the Park event is one of the best family events here in the South Bay.” said Shiela Fowler, current President of El Segundo Rotary. “Not only was it a lot of fun for local families, the event also raised money for El Segundo Rotary’s many community and international projects”. El Segundo Rotary thanks all of those who attended and encourages you to “Save the Date-August 6, 2016”, and to also like them on Facebook; Movie in the Park, El Segundo California. • Mayor Fuentes poses with Frozen characters Kristoff, Elsa, Olaf and Anna. Left to right: Rotarian, Dr. Sean Drake, Mayor Suzanne Fuentes, Rotarian Kelsey McFarland and Chevron employee, Jennifer Craig. Photo courtesy of Chevron.
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