The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 107, No. 44 - November 1, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................5
Food.......................................5
Legals............................ 12,13
People...................................2
Police Briefs......................14
Real Estate.....................7-11
Sports....................................6
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Sunny
73˚/61˚
Saturday
Sunny
72˚/62˚
Sunday
Partly
Cloudy
75˚/61˚
New CERT Members Welcomed
Congratulations to the newest Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members! El Segundo Fire Department had a tremendous day of training and looks forward to working with these fine individuals
in the future. If you live in El Segundo and you’d like to become a member, please go to https://www.elsegundo.org/depts/fire/cert/default.asp for more information. Photo: El Segundo Fire Department.
Voters to Weigh in on School
Board, Bond and More on Nov. 6
By Brian Simon
Tuesday, Nov. 6 will be a big day for El
Segundo voters. Residents who cast their ballots
will decide who fills three available seats
on the El Segundo School Board -- and they
will also determine the fate of the Measure ES
school bond. In addition to those specifically
local items, voters in town (along with those
in several other communities) will also help
select the winner of the West Basin Municipal
Water District Division IV Board of Directors
race. On a wider level, they will have the
opportunity to record their preferences on a
dozen State measures as well as one County
measure – and mark their chosen candidate
for a number of major California offices. The
formidable list includes Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, Secretary of State, Controller,
Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner,
State Board of Equalization 3rd
District Member, and United States Senator.
For the districts that El Segundo is a part of,
the incumbents hope to garner reelection for their
respective positions. Democratic Congressman
Ted Lieu is up against Republican physician/surgeon/
educator Kenneth Westin Wright in the race
for 33rd District United States Representative.
Democratic Senator Ben Allen’s challenger
for the 26th District State Senate seat is
non-partisan real estate agent Baron Bruno, while
Democratic State Assemblywoman Autumn
Burke’s opponent for the 62nd District leadership
spot is Republican broker/businessman Al
L. Hernandez. Also up for grabs are a bevy of
judicial positions, including California Supreme
Court Justice, Court of Appeal Justice and
Judge of the Superior Court. Additional races
include Superintendent of Public Instruction,
County Assessor and County Sheriff.
Meanwhile, four candidates threw their
hats in the ring to fill three open spots on the
El Segundo School Board. Only one (Emilee
Layne) is an incumbent, as members Dr. Jim
Garza and Dr. Bill Watkins opted to not seek
reelection for another four-year term. The other
hopefuls are Paulette Caudill, Amy Rilling
Grant and Tracey Miller-Zarneke. Three of
these four will serve on the School Board.
For West Basin District IV, incumbent Scott
Houston is vying against challenger Joe Lococo.
Both happen to be El Segundo residents, though
the geographical area of the district also includes
Culver City, Malibu and West Hollywood as
well as seven unincorporated communities.
El Segundo Unified School District’s Measure
ES proposition seeks voter approval to authorize
$92 million to upgrade facilities and improve
student safety and campus security. The identified
project list includes repairing or replacing
roofs, plumbing and electrical systems; providing
the necessary facilities and technology to support
high-quality instruction in STEM and other core
subjects; upgrading science and engineering labs
and career and technical education facilities;
and creating flexible, multi-use classrooms to
support hands-on instruction.
Measure ES requires a 55 percent yes vote
in order to pass. If approved, the District plans
to issue the bonds in multiple series over a
period of time. The projected cost for local
property owners will be 4.3 cents per $100
($43 per $100,000) of assessed valuation
in fiscal year 2019/20. Initial estimates indicate
the tax would be collected through the
2053/54 fiscal year. A property’s assessed
value is based on Los Angeles County tax
rolls – not on actual market value. Key provisions
of the bond noted in the ballot measure
include independent financial oversight with
audits of all expenditures, no funds used for
administrators’ salaries and pensions, and no
monies taken by the State.
In contrast to municipal contests, the El Segundo
City Clerk’s Office does not run School
Board elections and does not swear in the winning
candidates. It will also not be involved in the
bond measure count. Both of those go through
the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/
County Clerk, with pertinent information available
on the lavote.net website. “We do give
support to residents who call in or stop by and
we will provide links to County information and
post unofficial results outside our office when
those become available,” Deputy City Clerk II
Mona Shilling said. It could take up to a month
for the County to officially certify the results
due to the high volume of elections it oversees.
Nov. 13 will be the final School Board
meeting for Garza and Watkins, according to
District Superintendent Dr. Melissa Moore.
If Layne retains her seat, she will swear in
the other two winners at the Dec. 11 meeting
(there are no additional sessions in either of
those months). The annual officer reorganization
will also take place on Dec. 11, so the Board
President position (as well as Vice President
and Clerk) will turn over as it does each year.
One of the two mid-term members, Nancy
Cobb or Dr. Jeanie Nishime, will serve as the
next President. If Layne –the current President
-- falls short in the election, the District will
hold a private swearing-in ceremony at its
offices in early December and then proceed
with the reorganization on the 11th.
As an alternative to showing up in person
at their local polling location on Election Day
itself (open hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.),
El Segundo voters can drop off their ballots
early at the Registrar-Recorder-County Clerk’s
Department Headquarters at 12400 Imperial
Hwy. in Norwalk. Additional sites will be
available on Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday,
Nov. 4 at several designated locations. The
lavote.net provides information on early voting
particulars, sites and hours. Those who applied
for vote by mail ballots (the deadline to do so
was Oct. 30) can send them in as long as they
are postmarked no later than Nov. 6.
See Election Overview, page 4