The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 107, No. 36 - September 6, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................11
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Film Review..........................6
Legals............................12-13
Pets......................................14
Police Briefs........................2
Police Reports.....................2
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports....................................5
Weekend
Forecast
ES High Biomed Students Get
Real at UCLA Simulation Lab
A group of El Segundo High School seniors in the Biomedical Science Pathway visited a simulation lab at UCLA made possible through a partnership with UCLA’s Department of Anesthesiology and the
California Society of Anesthesiologists. Photo Provided by: El Segundo Unified School District
Medicare Cards Are New-- So Is
This Scam to Steal Your Identity
By Rob McCarthy
Medicare cards designed to prevent
fraud and identity theft are being mailed to
eligible South Bay residents, and seniors
should beware of a scam arising from the
distribution of these new cards.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s
Office issued a warning and advised
seniors to be careful about sharing their
personal information with anyone claiming
to be a healthcare provider either in
person at their door or over the phone.
The Medicare card fraudsters will call
seniors and tell them they must provide
their Social Security number or other
personal information, or make a payment
to receive or activate their new Medicare
cards. That simply isn’t true, according
to the DA’s office.
Medicare enrollees should receive their
new cards automatically from the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The
agency began mailing the new cards, which
no longer include Social Security numbers,
in April and will continue through April
2019, officials said.
Tips for protecting personal identity
and Medicare benefits include:
- Don’t share your Social Security
number, personal information or Medicare
number except with legitimate health care
and insurance professionals with whom
you initiated contact.
See Medicare Cards, page 14
Friday
Sunny
79˚/69˚
Saturday
Sunny
82˚/70˚
Sunday
Sunny
83˚/69˚
TopGolf, Drive Shack Make Final
Cut for The Lakes Negotiations
By Brian Simon
Eleven months after a previous El Segundo
City Council majority voted against the project,
TopGolf is back as one of two finalists
under consideration to get the contract for
future operations, management and improvements
at The Lakes at El Segundo property.
On Tuesday night, four of the five Council
members (Don Brann dissented) opted to start
negotiations with TopGolf as well as industry
competitor Drive Shack – the companies that
The Lakes RFP (Request For Proposals) Task
Force ranked first and second respectively
after evaluating nine total proposals.
The Council opted to only consider “tech”
golf options, thus eliminating the third-ranked
Billy Casper Golf – which aimed to keep
The Lakes as a traditional golf operation,
but offered $1.8 million in upfront capital
contributions for course and driving range
improvements plus the addition of a sports
field, expanded parking and short game/
mini-golf area.
All but one bid was for a golf use. The
outlier was Sanford Ventures, which proposed
building an outdoor amphitheater with an
event center, public park and sports field at
the site. The company ranked in the middle
of the pack.
Evaluation criteria weighed financial impact/
ability to be a self-sustaining proposition
that services existing debt and future capital
improvements (25 percent); experience and
capability with similar operations in other
cities along with good references (25 percent);
comprehensive resident/community
involvement that incorporates recreation and
parks values (20 percent); business/operating
plan that adheres to the Chevron golf deed
(15 percent); and a capital improvement plan
that considers both immediate and long-term
needs (15 percent). With “1” being the highest
score, TopGolf averaged out at 1.83 with Drive
Shack at 2.83. Billy Casper Golf rated 3.33
and Flying Tee (another golf entertainment
enterprise) came in fourth at 4.17.
Though components of its previous proposal
are more or less the same for the driving range
redesign (three-level entertainment venue with
102 hitting bays), course modifications and
construction of a separate clubhouse, TopGolf
significantly upped its rent offer to $39.3
million total ($34.2 million guaranteed) over
the 20-year initial lease with an additional
$200,000 annual contribution to the City’s
general fund. It was also the only proposal
that maintains one Par-4 hole. The bid also
calls for $40.4 million in upfront capital
contributions (including $5.4 million for the
golf course).
Drive Shack (part of American Golf)
proposed a three-story driving range with
101 hitting bays, expanded practice area and
improvements/modifications to the existing
course. Its lease offer was $22.8 million in
total rent ($21.5 million guaranteed) over
the 20 years. The plan entails shortening
the golf course to all Par-3 holes. Upfront
capital contributions are $25 million to $30
million, including $1.5 million for golf course
improvements.
Mayor Drew Boyles expressed a preference
to separate the driving range and golf
course in the upcoming discussions with the
proposers. His colleagues disagreed, feeling
it best to keep a “holistic” approach that connects
the two entities. Brann indicated he is
unwilling to consider the TopGolf proposal
at all, calling it “dead on arrival” because it
came in late (36 minutes after the deadline).
See City Council, page 13