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. 36 - September 7, 2017
Inside
This Issue
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.....................14
Classifieds............................4
Crossword/Sudoku.............4
Entertainment......................6
Legals............................ 12,13
Obituaries.............................2
Pets......................................14
Police Reports...................13
Real Estate...........8-11,15,16
Sports....................................5
Weekend
Forecast
Friday
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74˚/66˚
Saturday
Sunny
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Sunday
Sunny
78˚/69˚
El Segundo Mayor Honored
with Service to the Flag Award
Amanda Clauss, 2017 President Women in Defense Greater Los Angeles Chapter; and Mayor Suzanne Fuentes, City of El Segundo. Photo by Casey Janes. See story in yellow box below. •
Surprising News Arrives as Council
Gears Up for TopGolf Vote Next Month
By Brian Simon
In anticipation of a final vote on the project
on October 3, the long-pending TopGolf saga
took an unexpected turn during Tuesday night’s
El Segundo City Council meeting when new,
potentially game-changing information came
to light during a lengthy public hearing on the
matter. Mayor Suzanne Fuentes revealed that
TopGolf had just inked a deal with the City
of Burlingame in Northern California to build
a facility there with an annual ground lease of
$1.5 million escalating to nearly $2 million
after 20 years. This in comparison to the El
Segundo agreement of $525,000 annually to
start and an eventual increase to $687,000 in
two decades. “I’m embarrassed for our city,”
Fuentes said in response to the deal and El
Segundo’s significantly lower yearly take. The
Mayor added that Burlingame similarly has an
“underperforming driving range,” deed restrictions
Mayor Suzanne Fuentes Honored
with Service to the Flag Award
El Segundo Mayor Suzanne Fuentes was
one of the three outstanding women honored
by Women in Defense, Greater Los Angeles
Chapter (WID-GLAC) with a “Service to
the Flag” award. The award honors the
achievements of outstanding women within
the Southern California aerospace and defense
community and serves as a benefit
to raise funds for Horizons scholarships.
Mayor Fuentes joined Teri Kelsall, cofounder,
The Jonas Project; and Robin
Follman-Otta, chief operations officer,
Markall Inc. & RA Industries LLC honored
at the fifth annual WID-GLAC celebration
at Hotel Maya in Long Beach on Sunday,
August 27. Mayor Fuentes was honored
with the “Service to the Flag” award in
the government category.
Women in Defense (WID) is a National
Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) affiliate
that cultivates professional growth
and opportunities to advance women in
all aspects of national security. Each year,
its “Service to the Flag” award recognizes
extraordinary leaders whose work in and
outside of government identifies and addresses
some of the nation’s most trying
national security challenges.
A lifelong resident of El Segundo, Fuentes
was elected Mayor in April 2014. Prior to
that, she was elected to serve a four-year
term on the City Council in April 2010 and
then re-elected in 2014. Mayor Fuentes’
See Mayor Fuentes, page 3
on the project land, and a major airport
(San Francisco) nearby—and will get at least
as nice a facility as El Segundo.
While sharing Fuentes’ concerns, Mayor Pro
Tem Drew Boyles pointed out that TopGolf (and
developer CenterCal Properties) agreed to add
capital contributions (e.g. new clubhouse, golf
course redesign, night lighting, among other
items) to the El Segundo project that are not
included in the Burlingame arrangement. City
Manager Greg Carpenter estimated the total
of those to be over $5 million, including $3.5
million in construction costs.
In explaining the “perceived disparity” between
El Segundo and Burlingame, TopGolf
Director of Real Estate Devon Charhon noted
that “every deal is different and unique” and
is a “function of market and demand,” In Burlingame’s
case, he said that city scored very
highly and boasts “huge population growth
and corporate demand” with a lease area of
13 acres and opportunities for larger revenues.
He then spoke of the trade-off for community
benefits that are part of the TopGolf agreement
in El Segundo. Fuentes asked point blank if
the City could have another million dollars if
“we take away the free hours” (i.e. professional
and youth groups that can use 10 hitting bays
gratis during certain hours). Charhon indicated
that TopGolf would be “willing to talk about”
different ground lease numbers if those are
important to the City.
Boyles said he was “struggling” with the
many thousands of annual free hitting bay
hours, calling it a “huge gift” but realizing
it could mean significant revenue loss as a
result of “subsidizing our golf programs here
and in Manhattan Beach.” It was noted several
times on Tuesday that the bulk of patrons at
The Lakes of El Segundo are non-residents.
Ultimately, the Council majority (with Fuentes
and Dugan dissenting) agreed to certify the final
See City Council, page 12