EL SEGUNDO HERALD December 31, 2015 Page 5 VALENTINO♥ S Pizza, Pasta & More Catering Available ANY SMALL “A Taste of Brooklyn” 1 LARGE 16” PIZZA with one topping $1399 Plus Tax. Extra toppings additional cost. No substitutions and coupon must be presented. Please mention coupon when ordering. One per customer. Expires 1/14/16. EL SEGUNDO 150 S Sepulveda Blvd. 310-426-9494 COLD 6” SUB made on our daily fresh homemade bread with bag of chips and small drink $695 Plus Tax. One per customer, must present coupon, not valid with any other offer, no substitutions please. Expires 1/14/16. MANHATTAN BEACH 976 Aviation Blvd. 310-318-5959 Now Open Sundays Ample Seating DELIVERY IN LIMITED AREA AT BOTH LOCATIONS El Segundo from page 2 Negotiations between the City and most of the various bargaining units continued unresolved more than a year after the previous contracts expired. Most contentious were talks with the El Segundo Police Officers Association (POA), which prompted several union members as well as various local citizens to appear at Council meetings to urge City leaders to “stop the cuts” and not put public safety at risk—particularly with crime on the rise in the wake of State legislation that put more criminals on the streets. In an effort to set the record straight, Mayor Suzanne Fuentes in the summer said the City would post its offers and counterproposals online for public view if the POA agreed to do likewise. The numbers finally went up on the City’s website in November. In July, the City also posted data outlining the results of a salary survey comparison with 11 other municipalities, employee W-2s from 2012/13, current consumer price index information and CalPERS rate history. Meanwhile in November, the City reached agreement with the El Segundo Firefighters Association on a new contract—the first union to sign. Several months earlier, the Council set salaries and benefits for unrepresented employees including department heads, police and fire chiefs. Water Conservation Gets Stricter With California’s continued severe drought, the City Council authorized revisions to its water conservation ordinance to align with more stringent state standards. New actions approved in June included eliminating all washing down of sidewalks and driveways, limiting watering to two days a week, prohibiting landscape watering within 48 hours of predicted rainfall rather than just during precipitation, prohibiting watering of landscape public street medians with ornamental turf unless using recycled water, and allowing only drip irrigation or microspray to landscape newly constructed homes. December changes included restrictions on landscaping for new construction projects as well as remodels involving landscaping, with requirements on irrigation systems such as pressure regulators, master shut-off valves, high-efficiency sprinklers, and flow sensors. Customers will also need to go through plan check, hire a water auditor and come up with a water budget. Wiseburn High Breaks Ground/ New Pool in the Works Wiseburn Unified School District received approved plans in July for its new high school campus at 201 Douglas Street. Designed by Gensler Architects, the campus had its groundbreaking ceremony in August with completion tentatively slated for August 2017—though the timeline may be extended. Included in the mix is an Olympic-size competition swimming pool that will serve both El Segundo and Wiseburn/Da Vinci schools and will be operated by the El Segundo Recreation and Parks Department. Regarding the aquatics facility, the City Council opted in March to pursue an “upgrade option” in hopes of providing the best package of programming and amenities to serve local schools and the community while also maximizing revenue possibilities. The plan calls for a 54-meter by 25-meter pool plus a couple of two-meter bulkheads that can provide additional programming and seating (900) to host larger meets and tournaments. The originally estimated $10.6 million price tag could jump by more than another 10 percent and will require some outside funding, as Wiseburn previously committed $6 million towards construction and the City had $1.8 million in its aquatics fund. Continental Development Corporation President pledged to kick in $1 million towards the cause and to lead an outreach campaign to raise additional dollars from the business community. The Lakers were the first to jump on board with a $250,000 pledge. • • Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry Gorgonzola Gremolata Makes 6 servings Ingredients • 6 medium sweet potatoes • 1/4 c. melted butter • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1/4 c. pure maple syrup • 1/4 c. minced fresh parsley • 1 lemon zested • 1 clove garlic, minced finely • 3 tablespoons minced pecans • 3 tablespoons finely chopped dried cranberries • 1 scallion minced • 2 ounces Stella gorgonzola, crumbled Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Place sweet potatoes on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Flip over and return to oven to bake until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. 2. When cool enough to do so safely, peel sweet potatoes. Place in a medium skillet over low heat with butter, salt and maple syrup for 5 minutes, basting the potatoes with the butter mixture occasionally. Lightly smash the potatoes until there is an even consistency. Hold over low heat. 3. In a small bowl, toss together parsley, lemon zest, garlic, pecans, cranberries and scallion. Gently fold in the gorgonzola. Move sweet potatoes to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cranberry blue cheese gremolata. Serve hot. •
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