The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 107, No. 45 - November 8, 2018
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................11
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Film Review..........................5
Halloween Photos............12
Legals............................10-11
Letters...................................2
People...................................2
Real Estate.......................6-9
Sports....................................3
Weekend
Forecast
ESHS Fall Drama Spectaculathon
The El Segundo High School Drama Department will present “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” by Don Zolidis. Directed by: Mr. Glenn Sidwell, Costume Designer: Ms. Tiffany Maisonet, Technical Director:
Angelica Roque, Assistant Director: Elise Ramacciotti, and Stage Manager: Brooke Papillion. Showtimes are November 8th and 9th at 7:00 PM., and November 10th at 2:00 PM. and 7:00 PM. in the ESHS
Performing Arts Center, 640 Main Street. Tickets are $10.00, $8.00/ASB. Bring the family for lots of fun and laughs!! Photo Credit: Molly Bercutt, ESHS.
Trash Fee Protest Ballot Fails;
City to Negotiate with TopGolf
By Brian Simon
It appears that local residents will pay
for trash collection for the first time after a
Proposition 218 protest ballot process fell
short by the Tuesday, Nov. 6 deadline. City
Clerk Tracy Weaver revealed the results during
Mid-Term Election Results 2018
El Segundo
School Board:
Emilee M. Layne, Tracey I. Miller-Zameke
and Paulette Caudill
Measure ES: Yes
Propositions
1 - Housing Assistance Bonds: Yes
2 - Mental Illness Housing Bonds: Yes
3 - Water and Environmental Bonds: No
4 - Children’s Hospital Bonds: Yes
5 - Property Tax Base Transfers: No
6 - Repeal State Gas Tax: No
7 - Allow Daylight Saving Change: Yes
8 - Regulate Dialysis Charges: No
10 - Remove Rent Control Limits: No
11 - Expand EMT On-Call Time: Yes
12 - Farm Animal Space Minimum: Yes
West Basin Municipal Water
District Member, Board of
Directors, Division 4
Scott Houston
Congratulations to all the winners!*
Tuesday night’s El Segundo City Council
meeting, reporting only 1,096 protests came
back (and 39 of those were invalid) out of
the 2,912 ballot forms mailed to owners of
single and two-unit residential properties
eligible for solid waste collection services.
A successful protest required at least 1,457
ballot returns (50 percent-plus) declining the
fee. Upon the Council’s directive, the City
sent out the forms on Sept. 20 as part of the
required 45-day notice to respond.
Bids for the City of El Segundo’s next trash
contract were due today and the Council will
wait to set the fee for solid waste collection
in February 2019 upon the next hauler’s
selection. The maximum monthly cost will
be $20 for each of the eligible residential
dwellings, though the amount could be lower
depending on the numbers in the proposals.
In explaining some of the reasoning behind
asking residents to pay for trash now,
City Manager Greg Carpenter explained that
early estimates indicate solid waste costs will
double (from the current roughly $450,000
a year to about $900,000). Former Councilman
Mike Robbins contended that residents
already pay for trash through their property
taxes. He also deemed the move as “unfair”
when considering the high pension checks
that go out to former City employees. Mayor
Drew Boyles confirmed that escalating pension
liability will create significant financial
hardships for the City over the next few
years, but that the current Council has made
“aggressive moves” to address the problem
(e.g. extra payments to reduce interest, setting
up a pension trust account). Also noted: El
Segundo receives one of the lowest per-dollar
shares of property taxes of any municipality
in the county.
Once the monthly trash fee is set, it can
increase annually for five years in accordance
with the consumer price index. After that
period, the amount must freeze unless the
Council attempts another Prop 218 process.
El Segundo is one of only two municipalities
in Los Angeles County (City of Commerce
is the other) where residents don’t pay for
solid waste collection. The average monthly
fee elsewhere is $28. Previous efforts to spur
residents to pay for the service failed, with
the most recent attempt in 2012 when the
City received a majority of protest ballots to
squelch the move.
Also on Tuesday, the Council agreed (with
member Don Brann the lone dissenting vote)
to enter into exclusive negotiations with
Centercal/TopGolf for the redevelopment,
improvement and operations of The Lakes at
El Segundo site—and to begin the entitlement
process for future use of the property. After
receiving input from The Lakes RFP Task
Friday
Sunny
77˚/53˚
Saturday
Mostly
Sunny
74˚/54˚
Sunday
Sunny
72˚/53˚
See City Council, page 2