The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 106, No. 40 - October 5, 2017
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................15
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................7
Legals............................ 16,17
Obituaries.............................2
Pets........................................8
Police Reports.....................3
Real Estate.........10-14,18,19
Sports.............................. 5,20
Weekend
Forecast
Chevron Presents Grant to City
at Champions of Business Event
Pictured L-R: Al Keahi, El Segundo Economic Development Advisory Council, Chair; Mayor Pro Tem Drew Boyles; Councilman Dr. Don Brann; Mayor Suzanne Fuentes; Councilman Mike Dugan; Councilwoman
Carol Pirsztuk; and Henry Kusch, General Manager Chevron El Segundo Refinery. Kusch presented a grant check for $125,000 to the El Segundo City Council during last Thursday’s Champions of Business
Celebration to support furthering economic development. Photo Provided by Phelps. •
City Council Majority Votes
Down TopGolf Project
By Brian Simon
After more than five years of discussion,
negotiation and timeline extensions, the proposal
Wiseburn School Board Sees Math Improvements,
Change Orders for New High School
By Duane Plank
Change was in the air at last Thursday
evenings meeting of the Wiseburn School
Board. Vice President/Clerk JoAnne
Kaneda was unable to attend because she
was out of town, so Board President Israel
Mora and the remaining three members,
plus District administrators, hunkered
down to tackle the agenda.
The California Assessment of Student
Performance and Progress (CAASP)
edicts--school scorecards released from
the state--noted that Wiseburn had the
highest rate of growth of any district in
the South Bay in Math with nearly nine
percent tracking proficient or advanced
jumps compared to the year before.
“That is huge growth,” said Superintendent
Tom Johnstone, who also noted that
Wiseburn “dropped a little bit in English
Language Arts,” but saw “awesome growth
at the middle school. He added, “As a
district, we have been focusing hardcore
on Math.”
Deputy Superintendent Chris Jones,
who spoke of the upswing in Math
scores, emailed, “During the three years
of CAASP, Wiseburn has made significant
progress in student achievement in both
Language Arts (nine percent growth)
and Math (16 percent). For 2017 we are
pleased with the nine percent overall annual
growth in Math, which is the largest
single-year growth level for any district
in the South Bay. The results, particularly
See Wiseburn, page 16
to build a TopGolf facility on the driving
range portion of The Lakes at El Segundo
is now apparently dead in the water. On
Tuesday night, a majority of the El Segundo
City Council opted not to proceed with the
long-pending project. Mayor Suzanne Fuentes
and Councilmembers Don Brann and Mike
Dugan cast the three deciding votes. Mayor
Pro Tem Drew Boyles and Councilmember
Carol Pirsztuk were in favor of TopGolf.
Tuesday’s action came despite a late request
by TopGolf and developer CenterCal
Properties for the Council to delay the agenda
item another two weeks to allow more time
to finalize ground lease negotiations. The
Council learned early last month that TopGolf
entered into an agreement for a venue with
the Northern California city of Burlingame
on a $1.5 million annual lease—almost $1
million more than the $525,000 yearly amount
previously negotiated for El Segundo. The
Council formed a subcommittee with Dugan
and Pirsztuk in tow to continue talks in hopes
of sweetening the pot. They then brought on
Continental Development Corporation President
(and Economic Development Advisory
Council member) Richard Lundquist to help
the City get the best deal possible. Lundquist
held several meetings with TopGolf/Center-
Cal, but then had to leave the country for
two weeks. In a letter to the Council which
Pirszuk read on Tuesday, he wrote that he
“wasn’t able to provide the level of service
this process deserves” and requested the
extra two weeks to allow him to “craft an
enhanced agreement” acceptable to the City.
But the Council majority had already heard
enough. “I’m not in favor of continuing it
anymore,” Dugan said about the request for
the two-week extension... I’ve been chasing
it for four years.” Noting that the overall process
has taken five and a half years, Fuentes
described the situation as “pitiful” and added,
“I’m starting to get TopGolf fatigue here.”
Friday See City Council, page 17
Sunny
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Saturday
Sunny
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Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
74˚/62˚