EL SEGUNDO HERALD September 23, 2021 Page 3
Aiden Pagel (#64) closes in on Hawthorne’s Jonathon Aguilar for a tackle for loss.
Douglass
MORTUARY
“Our Family Serving Yours Since 1954”
B U R I A L - C R E M AT I O N - W O R L DW I D E T R A N S F E R
P E T M E M O R I A L P RO D U C T S
500 EAST IMPERIAL AVENUE
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245
Te l e p h o n e ( 3 1 0 ) 6 4 0 - 9 3 2 5 • F a x ( 3 1 0 ) 6 4 0 - 0 7 7 8 • F D 6 5 8
Ad Made False Statements
The statements made in the “Citizens for
Transparency in Bond Spending” advertisement
of September 16th are false.
I and six other community members serve
on the ESUSD Citizens Bond Oversight Committee.
Pursuant to the Education Code, our
Committee ensures all Bond proceeds are spent
only on the construction, rehabilitation, and
replacement of school facilities and to ensure
these Bond funds are being used in accordance
with the intention of the voters.
Since 2019, our Committee has conducted
13 public hearings to review detailed reports
on where Bond proceeds are spent. Our agendas,
meeting minutes and financial reports
are available at www.elsegundousd.net under
the “Community” tab, “Measure ES- General
Obligation Bond.” Each Agenda contains hyperlinks
to the financial reports.
Every year, an independent audit is conducted
on the Bond expenditures. Every year, the
independent audit has confirmed the Bond
proceeds are being properly spent. A lot of
good people are working hard to run a successful
Bond program.
Measure ES was based on the 2018 Facilities
Master Plan. Key part of the Master Plan was build-
ing the new gym at the middle school. 63.32%
of voters approved the Measure ES Bond.
Now, a handful of people who live next to
the middle school are spreading misinformation
about the Bond Program because they are
more concerned about the view from their front
porch than what’s best for our kids.
Our next Committee meeting is October
11th at 6:00 pm at the District Board Room.
Everyone is welcome.
– Ryan Baldino, Chairperson,
Citizen Bond Oversight Committee
Misleading and Inaccurate
This letter is in response to the ad that
appeared in the Herald on September 16,
2021. On behalf of the Board of Education,
I refute the misleading, inaccurate statements
from an unidentified group. The ESMS
gymnasium was recognized as a need and
incorporated in the Long-Range Facility
Master Plan in 2016. The ESUSD Board
reached consensus on the final location
in November 2019 and that decision was
memorialized through formal Board action
taken on April 27, 2021, at a duly noticed
and regularly scheduled public Board meeting.
The primary consideration regarding
the placement of the gymnasium to align
with the other buildings is student safety.
Over the past six months, the District
administration and Board have responded
to over 100 inquires, met with concerned
individuals, held a Town Hall for neighbors
of ESMS and provided access to over 562
key project documents. Community input
is valued by the District and the Board;
however, it cannot go on indefinitely. The
gymnasium location has not changed since
it was approved. The construction plans
are completed and await final approval by
the Division of State Architects. The District
is moving forward to implement this
gymnasium, and we remain committed to
completing it. Our students need and deserve
this facility, and its location best meets safety
and site concerns. I invite the community
to learn the facts and history regarding the
gymnasium project on the District website
at https://www.elsegundousd.net/apps/news/
article/1498221.
– Tracey Miller-Zarneke, President,
ESUSD Board of Education •
Letters
Eagles Take Away Win
Over Hawthorne
By Gregg McMullin
It’s been an exciting start to the 2021
football season for the El Segundo Eagles.
This season has been quite the opposite after
suffering through a shortened 2020 season
due to injuries and a winless schedule. The
Eagles improved their record to 4-0 with
their come-from-behind 48-20 win over the
Hawthorne Cougars. The last time the Eagles
started their season with four consecutive
wins was in 2016, when they ran off five
straight non-conference wins.
In each of the first three games, the Eagles
started slowly and gained momentum as the
game went along. Against Hawthorne, a
fledgling program under good coaching, the
Eagles spotted the Cougars a two-touchdown
lead before regrouping and defeating their
one-time Ocean League opponent.
Hawthorne didn’t waste too much time
finding the end zone. With the help of a great
field position, the Cougars found pay dirt on
their fourth play. Junior quarterback Jonathon
Aguilar found a wide-open Lucas Villarreal,
who caught the pass and jogged into the
end zone for a 31- yard touchdown and a
7-0 Cougar lead. In the second quarter, the
Cougars, working on another short field thanks
to a muffed El Segundo punt. Hawthorne
went 34 yards in five plays, which was
capped by Jay Mateo’s 11-yard touchdown
reception, to give the Cougars a 14-0 edge.
The Eagles woke up and responded with
an 11-play 80-yard drive to cut into their
deficit. Junior quarterback Leo Menendez
led an orchestrated drive that combined six
passing and five rushing plays. It ended with
Mason Kahn’s 12-yard touchdown run with
2:03 remaining in the first half. There were
five possession changes in the final two minutes
that included three interceptions; Jack
Stoker intercepted one pass in the end zone.
The third quarter was a wild one that saw
El Segundo score three touchdowns while
Hawthorne retaliated with one of their own.
It didn’t take long for the Eagles to score
on their first possession of the second half.
Mason Kahn ran for 15 yards, and then Dylan
Bucher, who rushed for 129 yards and four
touchdowns, touched the Hawthorne defense
for a 35-yard touchdown run down the El
Segundo sidelines.
On their next possession, Menendez found
Kahn in the flats for a 14-yard gain and
Bucher for another 23 yards to the Cougar
one-yard line. On the next play, Bucher
exploded into the end zone. Menendez ran
Dylan Bucher rushed for 129 yards and four touchdowns against Hawthorne.
See Eagles, page 4
ES Police Department
Prepare for Tour de Cure
The 2021 ESPD Patch
For the month of October, the men and
women of the El Segundo Police Department
will be wearing pink patches in honor of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With over
700 police, fire, and EMS agencies around the
world, we are working to raise money and
bring awareness to this devastating disease.
You can join us in this fight by joining our
fundraiser! ESPD will be selling $10 pink
patches and $10 face coverings. You can
visit the ESPD lobby to purchase or email
Amy McDaniel at amcdaniel@elsegundo.
org for more information. Sixteen members
of ESPD will be joining Officer Marco
Lemus on his Tour de Cure this year, raising
awareness and funds by biking from El
Segundo Police Department to Huntington
Beach Police Department and back!
If you’d simply like to make a donation
to the #PinkPatchProject fundraiser, you can
visit www.espdppp.com to donate now! All
donations will be given to a local El Segundo
non-profit, Helen’s Room. Please see the
attached photos for the patch, face-covering
and Tour de Cure fundraiser we have going
on during the month of October.
#elsegundopd #pinkpatchproject #beatcancer
#UnityHopeCure.
– Provided by ESPD •
Pink Power! Members of the El Segundo Police Department are preparing for their 2021 Tour de Cure. This year, ESPD
is riding from El Segundo Police Department to Huntington Beach Police Department and back, all in the name of breast
cancer awareness month! From left to right: Police Assistant Amy McDaniel, Motor Officer Armando Rodriguez, Sgt. Eric
Atkinson, Officer Marco Lemus, Sgt. Kenny McShane, Officer Scott Black. Photo provided by ESPD.