The Weekly Newspaper of El Segundo
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 108, No. 46 - November 14, 2019
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................15
Classifieds..........................12
Crossword/Sudoku...........12
Entertainment......................6
Legals............................ 11,13
Letters...................................2
Obituaries.............................2
Pets......................................16
Real Estate.....................7-10
Sports.............................. 5,15
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
66˚/55˚
Saturday
Sunny
72˚/59˚
Sunday
Sunny
81˚/59˚
The ESHS Cast of “Love/Sick”
The El Segundo High School Drama Department presents: “ Love/Sick” by John Cariani. Showtimes are November 14th and 15th at 7:00 PM., and November 16th 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 a fun night of love and laughter! Directed by: Mr. Glenn Sidwell, Costume Designer: Ms. Tiffany Maisonet,
Technical Director: Scot Werve, Audio Engineer: Megan Burns, Assistant Director: Julia Grommes, and Stage Manager: Courteney McColgan. Photo Credit: Mr. Glenn Sidwell, ESHS
El Segundo Gearing Up for Major
Changes to the Election System
By Brian Simon
Don’t look now, but election season is
already upon us and it’s only November. A
Senate bill required the City of El Segundo to
align its elections with Los Angeles County
starting no later than 2022 due to inadequate
voter turnout in past municipal contests.
“The [El Segundo City] Council chose 2020
because the bill basically put all the election
vendors out of business… and therefore by
2022, we wouldn’t have a vendor to work
with on a standalone election,” City Clerk
Tracy Weaver explained.
Also given a choice of calendar dates,
the Council opted to hold regular elections
in March rather than November – as the
members did not wish to extend their current
terms. The next election day for the
County (and El Segundo) is Tuesday, March
3, 2020. “SB415 mandated us to consolidate
our election to that of the County,” Weaver
said. “The Council chose March for the
next election and that date also happened to
coincide with the rollout of the new County
voting system.” More on that a little later…
For the March election, El Segundo voters
will decide on three open spots for City
Council and one each for City Clerk and
City Treasurer. Potential candidates began
to pick up nomination papers (each needs
to garner 20 signatures from verified El
Segundo voters to qualify) on Tuesday, Nov.
12. City Council hopefuls must return their
completed paperwork no later than end of
day on Friday, Dec. 6 unless an incumbent
does not file – in which case the date extends
to Dec. 11. On that note, Councilmember
Don Brann reiterated last week that he will
not run again.
Though this article posted before confirmation
of any “pulled papers” at the City
Clerk’s office, several incumbents told this
reporter that they will seek reelection. The
list includes Mayor Drew Boyles, Mayor Pro
Tem Carol Pirsztuk and Weaver. City Treasurer
Crista Binder is also up for another term,
but did not announce her status as of this
writing. However, the incumbent last week
asked the Council to place a measure on the
March ballot that, if passed by local voters,
will convert her position to an appointed
one in the future rather than elected. Binder
urged for more stringent qualifications out
of the increasingly complex treasurer’s job.
“The City needs a treasurer that is skilled
and experienced,” she said. “Right now, the
only qualifications are that you be a resident
and 18. There are no educational or financial
experience requirements.” Binder also
pointed to potential savings and efficiencies
by wrapping her position into the Finance
Department. “The position of treasurer for
the City of El Segundo requires someone
with skills and experience managing public
funds,” she added. “The majority of California
cities have appointed treasurers and that
role is typically combined with the finance
director. Managing public funds properly
is a critical activity for a city’s long-term
financial health.”
The Council unanimously supported
Binder’s request on Nov. 5 and will finalize
the resolution to be filed with the County
next week. El Segundo voters will elect
the next treasurer, but it is unknown at this
point if the winning candidate will serve
a full four-year “elected” term –with future
treasurers appointed starting in 2024.
Another possibility is the elected individual
may choose to resign after taking office,
at which time the position can convert
to appointed.
As for Brann, a bill signed by Governor
Newsom that goes into effect on Jan. 1
prohibits the former from serving both on
the Council and on the board of the DaVinci
schools. Brann opted to stay with DaVinci
and announced last week that he will step
down from the Council in late December –
a few months before completing his term.
Though there is no decision on the matter
yet, Boyles and Pirsztuk said they suspect
the Council will continue as a quartet until
April and not appoint a replacement – given
the very narrow window of time to advertise
for and interview candidates with an election
in March 2020.
The mandate to fall under the County’s
umbrella means elections here (and
elsewhere) will be markedly different. The
stated goal of the new Voting Solutions
for All People (VSAP) system is to make
voting easier, more accessible and secure.
The changes will be dramatic for El Segundo.
The City Clerk’s office will no longer
oversee the entire election process and will
not tally the votes as in the past. Candidates
keeping track of the results will have to
do so via the County’s lavote.net website
rather than by watching it on Channel 3
in real time. El Segundo also won’t have
multiple precinct polling locations in
town. Instead the County will open 1,000
ADA-compliant “voting centers” within its
overall region. This compared to 4,000
precinct-based polling places countywide
in previous elections. “We may not have
more than one vote center in El Segundo,”
Weaver said. “The County is still reviewing
possible locations.” She added that a local
hotel, open 24/7, is a strong possibility.
Why 24/7? Under the new system, County
See Election, page 10