Page 2 September 3, 2015 EL SEGUNDO HERALD Community Briefs Samira Hijaz Receives Good Citizen Award On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 10:57 p.m., Samira Hijaz was sitting in her living room when she looked at her security surveillance monitor and noticed a white vehicle drive by. The same vehicle drove by again in the opposite direction and parked near her home. Hijaz observed a female walk to the front porch of her residence, take mail from her mailbox and then return to the vehicle. Hijaz walked out onto her porch to obtain a better description of the female and the vehicle. She then called police to report what had occurred. Officers located the vehicle occupied by two females. A search of their vehicle revealed mail belonging to many additional victims. Samira Hijaz’s assistance led to the arrest of two identity theft suspects. She has received a Good Citizen Award from ESPD and Kiwanis. D-Fenders Hire New Assistant Staff The Los Angeles D-Fenders have hired Paul Woolpert, Brian Walsh and Jermaine Byrd as assistant coaches and have promoted Will Scott to assistant coach/video coordinator, it was announced today by General Manager Nick Mazzella. Nina Hsieh returns for her seventh season as head athletic trainer for the D-Fenders. “I am pleased to have Paul Woolpert, Brian Walsh, Jermaine Byrd and Will Scott join us as assistant coaches for this upcoming season,” D-Fenders head coach Casey Owens said. “Paul and Brian are veteran coaches who have won multiple championships throughout their careers. Both have been head coaches in the past, and their experience, leadership, and expertise will be invaluable to the organization as we begin this new challenge. Jermaine and Will are D-League veterans, rising young coaches, and have worked extensively with Team USA and the Lakers, respectively. It’s a dynamic staff, and all of us are focused on bringing championship level basketball to El Segundo.” Tree Musketeers Upcoming Volunteer Events Join Tree Musketeers as we restore the Native Habitat on Clutter’s Bluff (for 18+)! Every Friday in September we will be working on Clutter’s Bluff to encourage the El Segundo Blue Butterfly population. We provide the tools and know how, you just bring yourself! To register or learn more contact volunteers@ treemusketeers.org or call 310-322-0263. • OFFICE SPACES in all SIZES A L O N G T H E R O S E C R A N S C O R R I D O R I N E L S E G U N D O / M A N H AT TA N B E A C H 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 Herald Office spaces in all sizes ad 2.indd 1 8/15/15 7:24 PM Council Waits on TopGolf, Opposes Changes in Election Dates By Brian Simon On a light agenda night this past Tuesday, the El Segundo City Council opted to continue the ongoing TopGolf discussions to the next meeting. City Manager Greg Carpenter reported that he and the City Attorney had a “constructive conversation” with TopGolf and CenterCal last Friday and were now “down to just a couple of issues” to resolve on the pending due diligence lease agreement for the driving range portion of The Lakes at El Segundo. Carpenter indicated he will bring back finalized information to the Council on September 15. The Council unanimously supported City Clerk Tracy Weaver’s request to send a letter to Governor Jerry Brown opposing two proposed bills that aim to alter future election parameters. According to Weaver, Assembly Bill (AB) 254 would eliminate March and April elections altogether, while Senate Bill (SB) 415 would essentially move municipal elections to November. El Segundo currently holds City Council elections the second Tuesday of April in even-number years. Weaver expressed “major concern” about “loss of control over our own election” should the legislation move forward. Among the potential problems cited, future El Segundo candidates won’t be able to monitor vote by mail activity since that information would go through the County. She also mentioned that unofficial election results would be delayed until 3 or 4 in the morning- -and that final validation of those results could take 28 days. In El Segundo standard practice, the City Clerk swears in the new Council one week after the election. Weaver noted that if elections take place in November, the winner(s) may not be officially in place until December. If passed, AB 254 will go into effect in 2020, while SB 415 will commence in 2018. Councilmember Marie Fellhauer called the legislation “another example of State government trying to take away local control” and characterized the potential changes as “more costly” and “less responsive to local citizens.” Mayor Suzanne Fuentes agreed, adding that lumping a municipal election together with other (regional, state and national) contests will “start getting uninformed voters showing up.” Mayor Pro Tem Carl Jacobson noted that November ballots are “very, very long” and worried that voters might not even bother filling in the municipal portions at the end. Councilmember Dave Atkinson opined that all registered El Segundo voters should automatically receive an absentee ballot and it will be up to them to fill it out or not. Fuentes disagreed, feeling that citizens should at least take a “minimal effort” to go out and vote or apply for an absentee ballot on their own. Over half of the votes cast in the most recent El Segundo election were by mail, according to Jacobson. During public communications, local resident Nate Chittick appealed to the spirit of showing respect for others as he called into question whether attorney Steve A. Filarsky is the sort of individual who should represent the City in talks with the various bargaining units. The Council appointed the Manhattan Beach-based lawyer as its labor negotiator last year. While at the podium, Chittick referenced letters Filarsky wrote in 2012 after winning a case that ultimately went to the Supreme Court and was connected to a period when the attorney did contract work for the City of Rialto. In a note to the losing litigant (a Rialto firefighter who had sued that city alleging violation of Constitutional rights), Filarsky wrote: “Congratulations. You are now in the history books! You will be able to read about it eternally from hell.” In a subsequent letter, Filarsky advised that the opposing attorney, See TopGolf, page 12
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