Background on Tesco moving in to South and Woodruff location

From what we read below we are not too keen on Tesco's record outside of CA. However with grocery strikes constantly on the horizon it will be nice to see an alternative to Pavillions at South St. and Woodruff. We'll see how much of a good neighbor Tesco is based upon what they do to bring that old Petco store up to snuff with all the other stores at South and Woodruff that have updated/upgraded their facades. All with the exception of cheapskate Rite-Aid of course.

See the update on this story here as Rite Aid and Tesco Fresh and Easy upgrade their looks like the rest of the tenants.

As for the owner of Fresh & Easy (Tesco Plc, a UK based company) it looks like they are fighting a hard battle in the UK over animal rights issues. Read more here. It looks like they are trying to be socially and environmentally responsible in California (Read more here) and the US but China is another story. A number of companies struggle with the issue of socially unacceptable practices in one country that are acceptable in another. It will be interesting to to see who wins this battle; the PETA type folks or the global warming folks.


From the Los Angeles Times
Local and global reputation of British grocer Tesco at odds
It has created a socially responsible image in California, its newest market. But abroad, it is likened to Wal-Mart.

By Jerry Hirsch
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

August 2, 2007

In California, giant British retailer Tesco is carefully cultivating an image as a socially responsible grocer with good-paying jobs, fresh organic foods and the latest in environmentally friendly technology.

But the firm's new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market chain, due to open here this fall, is a far cry from the Tesco flagship stores in Britain, where the vast supermarkets are more like Wal-Mart in size, selection and controversy.

To prove its green credentials, Fresh & Easy adopted a baby elephant in Kenya, it roofed its Disneyland-sized distribution center in Riverside with solar energy arrays and will use a polar bear as a corporate symbol to remind people of global warming. Workers will start at $10 an hour and get health insurance.

Internationally, however, Tesco has come under fire for the decapitation of live turtles at stores in China, alleged purchases of sweatshop goods from Bangladesh and unfettered expansion in England that is driving small shops out of business.

"Tesco has been especially adept at marketing itself as a socially responsible corporation," said Robert Gottlieb, an Occidental College urban policy professor. "Its track record has significant gaps between what it has promised and how it has achieved its current position as one of the top multinational operations."

Gottlieb's Urban and Environmental Policy Institute plans to issue a report today that will offer communities recommendations on how to deal with Tesco. He warns that the small Fresh & Easy stores are only a beachhead. He said Tesco was seeking to make it U.S. business "as massive" as the company's presence in England.

Tesco rejects the criticism and dismisses any comparison between its efforts in the United States and controversies around the world. It is "unfair to suggest our statements about our planned business in the U.S. are not genuine by picking a handful of isolated issues that have occurred around the world over the past few years," company spokesman Greg Sage said.

With about $80 billion in annual sales, Tesco is the world's third-largest food retailer. It is spending $2 billion to build what will probably be hundreds of small grocery stores in Southern California and the Southwest. The first Fresh & Easy markets will open in November.

Tesco's California marketing strategy is calculated to create a "touchy feely" image that "goes for the heartstrings," said Mohan Sodhi, a management professor at City University in London. In England, Tesco is about low prices, creating the type of negative publicity and images that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. faces in the United States, Sodhi said.

Company spokesman Sage said Tesco had addressed the treatment of turtles. He said the company has "carried out extensive research" over the last year and has changed the way it slaughters live soft-shell turtles. Tesco employees now crush the turtle's head after removal, to end any lingering suffering that might be felt by the animal.

"Finding a balance between the very important issue of animal welfare and the attitudes and traditions of other countries is not always easy, but nonetheless we have made some real improvements," Sage said.

But the turtle issue and other criticisms are likely to follow the company as it opens its Fresh & Easy stores here in Southern California, consumers say.

Arrissia Owen Turner, who was looking forward to shopping in Fresh & Easy stores near her home in Ontario, said how the company treated animals and workers in other nations would influence her shopping habits.

Just because something is acceptable in one culture or tradition doesn't make it right, Owen Turner said. "I don't go to Wal-Mart because it doesn't give a livable wage and good benefits to its employees."

Elsewhere, Tesco faces criticism for the working conditions at some of its suppliers.

ActionAid, a South Africa-based anti-poverty agency, has repeatedly urged Tesco to improve working conditions for South African fruit pickers that supply the retailer.

At the company's annual meeting in June, Gertruida Baartman said there had been little improvement in the working conditions for agricultural workers like herself.

"I am here again because things haven't changed in our lives. Our children still go to bed hungry, and we use pesticides with our bare hands," said Baartman, who earns about 75 cents an hour for the fruit that winds up on Tesco's shelves in Europe.

In response, the company said it planned to expand ethical audits of South African farms.

According to War on Want, another anti-poverty group, workers in Bangladesh are paid about 10 cents an hour to produce clothes for Tesco's British stores. The group said employees at one plant in Dhaka work "up to 20 hours a day in locked premises."

Sage defended the company's record in Bangladesh, saying it had done all it could "to ensure that high standards and good conditions are maintained by the most thorough independent audits carried out anywhere in the world."

Like Wal-Mart, Tesco often is blamed for driving out of business small independent companies in the towns where it sets up shop. It is a concern of residents in the village of Cuffley, north of London, where Tesco Chief Executive Terry Leahy lives.

Grass-roots group Keep Cuffley Rural organized an advisory poll it hoped would persuade planning authorities to block a store opening. Nearly two-thirds of the village's adults voted in the poll, said John Stredwick, chairman of the group, and 83% voted against the development.



"We are happy to drive the three miles to the huge supermarket they already have near here, but when they want to drop into a small village with a plan to wipe out all the local jobs, it is a different story," Stredwick said.

While Cuffley residents are fighting Tesco, residents of the Glassell Park section of Los Angeles are looking forward to the Fresh & Easy market.

Both Albertsons and Ralphs have closed supermarkets in the neighborhood, leaving the community with one independent grocer and a smattering of small convenience stores.

Laura Gutierrez, president of the Glassell Park Improvement Assn., said, "Our community has gone through tremendous changes and needs grocery stores."

jerry.hirsch@latimes.com

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

wildfire costs go wild

This story is a real gem. 47.00 a day for lunch? 400.00 for a sink (excuse me "handwashing station")? I have to agree. You build a home out in the sticks taxpayers should not be bailing you out. Better hope you have good fire insurance. Firefighters I know just refer to "wildfires" as way to pay for their new boat. And of course there is no upside for taxpayers. Fires end up doing what they do while firefighters stand by on triple overtime.


latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-zacafire29jul29,1,4309374.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Officials seek to contain wildfire costs
After a sharply critical federal report on efforts to hold down expenses, managers begin to alter long-used strategies and front-line practices.
By Steve Chawkins
Times Staff Writer

July 29, 2007

SANTA YNEZ, CALIF. — For a tense couple of weeks, the 31,000-acre Zaca fire threatened to scorch more than 1,000 square miles of wilderness and reach the outskirts of communities as far-flung as Santa Barbara and Ojai.

Now, the smoke is clearing but the long, dark shadow of the auditor looms over a massive operation that has cost an average of more than $1 million a day for nearly a month.

Eye-popping wildfire expenditures aren't all that unusual — this month's inferno at Lake Tahoe ran up daily bills of $1.8 million — but increasingly they have drawn stern warnings from Congress and repeated promises from fire officials to hold the line on spending.

Such cost consciousness could bring changes welcomed by environmentalists — such as firefighters simply keeping an eye on certain remote wilderness fires rather than stomping them out in what foresters a century ago likened to the moral equivalent of war. As bone-dry California plunges into another severe wildfire season, fire officials say their new frugality could also alter other long-used firefighting strategies and front-line practices.

With the Zaca fire just 51% contained early last week, hundreds of firefighters from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies already had been released to go home or battle fires elsewhere. At base camp eight miles from the bucolic Santa Ynez Valley, giant bulldozers were being loaded onto flatbed trucks, one of two mobile showers was hauled away and workers were dismantling a huge tent where managers had been meeting to discuss daily strategy.

The shifts reflected greater attention to the bottom line, officials said.

"In the past, some incident commanders have been overly cautious," keeping manpower and equipment on hand past the time they were really necessary, said Mike Ferris, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman at base camp. "Now, we're challenging that way of thinking."

Whether such measures will satisfy the Forest Service's critics is an open question.

In a scathing report last month, the congressional General Accountability Office contended that the Forest Service and allied agencies "have neither clearly defined their cost-containment goals and objectives nor developed a strategy for achieving them."

The GAO acknowledged some Forest Service attempts to trim costs but said they were inadequate, allowing wildfire expenses to nearly triple in a decade. Forest Service officials, who have heard similar complaints before, said they took the criticism to heart.

"After the billion-and-a-half dollars that we spent last year, we did a lot of soul-searching about things we can do better," said Tom Harbour, the agency's director of fire and aviation management, in a telephone interview from a wildfire in Idaho. One result: Top-level Forest Service management teams are rushed in to eyeball expenses and strategy on fires, such as Zaca, where costs surpass $10 million.

Last year set a wildfire record, with flames blackening more than 13,500 square miles — the equivalent of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. The Day fire north of Los Angeles swept through more than 250 square miles, at a cost topping $70 million.

Harbour said officials have renewed their vow to let fires in some areas long untouched by flame burn for the well-being of the forest. And he suggested that firefighters would steer clear of heroic measures to save remote, wood-shingled forest hideaways surrounded by cascades of flammable shrubbery.

"We may not even commit firefighters to try to protect a home like that," he said.

The Zaca fire started July 4, when a ranch worker was grinding a length of irrigation pipe and a stray spark ignited some grasses. Firefighters managed to steer the fast-moving blaze away from Los Olivos and other communities but lost a race to keep it out of the chaparral-choked San Rafael Wilderness Area, which is inaccessible to trucks, bulldozers and other heavy equipment.

The only alternative was a costly, full-on attack using air tankers and helicopters, said Ferris of the Forest Service. Fire crews were dropped onto ridges and picked up every two or three days, reducing the cost of shuttling them back to camp each night.

Even so, aircraft rental adds up to real money in no time. Firefighting helicopters go for about $8,000 an hour; and at one time, 14 choppers and six air tankers were active at Zaca. Air attack, in fact, typically accounts for about one-third of all wildfire expenses. But the Forest Service believes it's cheaper to rent than to buy and maintain a year-round fleet, Ferris said.

Other expenses also mount quickly. Even seasonal firefighters — sometimes college students on summer break — can pull down $23 an hour including overtime. Full-time professionals — about 50 Santa Barbara County firefighters were at Zaca — make their regular pay and, often, overtime.

The agency gives an energy-restoring 6,000 calories a day to hardworking firefighters, so food can cost $47 a day per person. In addition to costly heavy equipment rentals, there are unglamorous necessities — such as an eight-sink hand-washing station that rents for $400 a day, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

At the Zaca fire, the more than $35 million spent so far could have been a mere down payment if the flames had swept into the adjacent Bob Smith and Matilija wilderness areas. Much of that acreage has not burned in at least 100 years, and officials said fire could have roared through the rough terrain unabated.

"If the weather hadn't cooperated with our firefighting efforts, this could have been much, much worse," said Capt. Eli Iskow, a spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. "We were 'what if-ing' this situation to death."

The worst-case scenario was outlined in blue on a huge map at Command Row, the dozen trailers that served as executive suites at Zaca's base camp. It showed the fire spanning about 800,000 acres — a vast swath that would have threatened the fringes of coastal Santa Barbara and inland Ojai. To prepare, firefighters carved nearly 200 miles of containment lines, some as far as 15 miles from the flames.

The aggressive — if costly — air campaign paid off, Ferris said: "It was a question of pay now — or pay a lot more later."

Critics such as Tim Ingalsbee, a former seasonal firefighter who now teaches fire courses at the University of Oregon, cast a skeptical eye on wildfire costs.

"About 45% of the Forest Service's budget is related to fire, and that's a big source of the problem," said Ingalsbee, founder of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. "The agency sees its money train hitched to fire."

He said costs could be slashed with greater attention to contracts, which can be bloated, and a greater willingness to use prescribed burns — fires set to thin the fuel supply in overgrown wilderness areas.

Prescribed burns hadn't been set in the wilderness areas singed by the Zaca fire, said John Bridgwater, Ojai District Ranger in the Los Padres National Forest. Managers calculated that thinning areas closer to ever-encroaching subdivisions made more fiscal sense, he said.

But some environmentalists say that, in general, the agency's approach seems to be changing — prompted at least in part by criticism of runaway costs.

"More than ever, the leadership is encouraging people on the ground to look at each fire as an individual event, as opposed to something that has to be extinguished as soon as possible," said Jaelith Hall-Rivera, a Washington-based wildfire policy analyst for the Wilderness Society. "Certainly they can be moving faster, but it's not something you can fix overnight."

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

Rialto CA perchlorate hearing

Rialto takes perchlorate stand
Article Launched: 07/28/2007 09:59:16 PM PDT
http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinions/ci_6489939

According to the most recent Study by the Center for Disease Control, perchlorate in drinking water, even at low doses, is a threat to the thyroid function of many of U.S. women, and to brain and nervous system development in children. By 2002, it had become apparent that a 6-mile-long plume of perchlorate, a key ingredient of rocket fuel, and trichloroethylene (TCE), a hazardous solvent phased out of industrial use by the 1980s, contaminates the otherwise pure groundwater aquifer that supplies drinking water for the city of Rialto and the Rialto Utility Authority.

The source is a World War II ordinance depot later used for manufacturing by large defense contractors and fireworks manufacturers. The contamination comes from land now used by San Bernardino County for its Mid-Valley Sanitary Landfill, to the west, and a 160-acre site to the east occupied by Goodrich Corporation, Emhart (Black & Decker), Pyro Spectaculars and other manufacturers.

In response, the Rialto City Council adopted a policy of shutting down contaminated wells to avoid serving perchlorate in any amount to its citizens. Initially, perchlorate concentrations were detected in the dozens to several hundred parts per billion (ppb). Additional investigation and testing found perchlorate as high as 5,000-10,000 ppb, the highest level in the nation in a domestic water supply. The state of California action level is 6 ppb.

Protecting citizens' health is paramount, but the potential effects on business, development and the city's finances are also dire. Installing wellhead treatment costs millions, and operational costs add millions more. With the new 210 Freeway, parts of the city are poised for increased development and employment. But if the city cannot assure a 20-year supply of water, state law prohibits local development.

Projected costs for the cleanup run as high as $200 million to $300 million.

Initially, Rialto turned to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board - Santa Ana Region (RWQCB) for assistance. EPA undertook some studies and issued investigation orders to some of the dischargers. At the time, the Bush administration, under pressure from major defense contractors that had used perchlorate nationally and the Pentagon, resisted adoption of a federal cleanup standard or rigid enforcement by the EPA. EPA took no further action, and deferred to the state of California.

The first prosecution effort by the RWQCB ended in a dismissal for lack of evidence. In 2003, Rialto turned to San Bernardino County and asked it to take steps to control the perchlorate from its Mid-Valley Landfill. Through then-supervisor Jerry Eaves, the county declined to offer Rialto any help and denied the extent of the contamination later confirmed by more testing.

Faced with ineffective action from EPA and the regional board, a rejection of liability from the county, and some expiring statutes of limitation, Rialto brought suit in federal court in 2004 to make the large corporate polluters and insurance companies - rather than its own citizens - pay for the cleanup.

Through investigation of activities as far back as the 1940s, and under federal discovery authority, a mass of evidence was collected and delivered to the RWQCB and EPA. Using some of this evidence, Rialto was successful in November 2005 in obtaining a Clean-up and Abatement Order from the RWQCB that requires the county to clean up the perchlorate emanating from the landfill. By late 2006, the RWQCB began a further prosecution of Goodrich, Emhart/Black & Decker and Pyro Spectaculars, supported in substantial part by the evidence from the federal litigation.

Rialto's strategy is straightforward: use the federal litigation to supply evidence to EPA and the regional board with the objective of obtaining orders for cleanup of the basin. California law requires such a lawsuit to invoke the decades of insurance coverage of many of the dischargers, some of whom otherwise lack funding.

Rialto's objective has always been to play a supporting role to federal and state agencies to obtain the orders for prompt cleanup. That strategy has worked as to the county and its landfill.

The current State Water Board prosecution, which goes to hearing in Rialto Aug. 21-30, will hopefully result in a cleanup order on the eastern part of the plume as well. Rialto will participate and assist the RWQCB in presenting important evidence.

If that hearing, which has been delayed four times by the large, well-funded law firms representing the dischargers, is not successful, Rialto has as a backup its federal lawsuit, which should go to trial in late 2008. Either way, Rialto is committed to making the large corporate polluters and insurance companies pay for the cleanup.

The same federal litigation has been filed by the city of Colton, West Valley Water District and the private supplier Fontana Water Company. Right now, Rialto and Colton are doing the work in the litigation. The same water purveyors, and the county - both singly and jointly - have applied for federal and state cleanup money for years with only limited success.

Rialto is following a dual approach of assisting the administrative agencies and using the federal litigation as a backup. We request this newspaper and all affected citizens to support the current State Water Board prosecution in Rialto Aug. 21-30.

The state Legislature should be encouraged to supply funding for prosecution of the dischargers and to assist with the cleanup. EPA should likewise be more actively involved, and take further action on the evidence that has been supplied to it. The health and welfare of Rialto's citizens, and its women and children in particular, deserve nothing less.

- Winnie Hanson, Rialto's mayor pro tem, and Ed Scott, council member, comprise the Rialto Perchlorate Subcommittee.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

Will the streets ever get swept?

Again and again we have told Lakewood that until the parking problem get under control and there is some enforcement of parking rules, the gutters will remain dirty and the the city will continue to waste money on hiring the sweeper to drive down the middle of the street as no one will move their car (as none ever gets a ticket). The city even refuses to enforce the vehicle code (state law). Cars routinely park across the sidewalk blocking driveways making it very difficult for small kids or the handicapped to use the sidewalk. Well fortunately the state is no longer letting cities skate on their dirty streets any longer. Read more on the Water/Urban Runoff problem under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and the State Water Resources Control Board. Which means parking has to get under control.

Finally the city is taking some long overdue action via this letter to north Lakewood residents in the "test area". Now lets see some enforcement.


Sweeping parking ban test due
Trial of enforcement method planned in north.
By Karen Robes, Staff writer
Article Launched: 07/14/2007 12:32:46 AM PDT

LAKEWOOD - On many Lakewood roads, street sweepers often have to maneuver around parked cars and vehicles to clear out leaves, trash and other debris, leaving some not-so-tidy streets.

But next year, officials may ban parking during street sweeping hours if a fall pilot program in northern Lakewood is successful.

The City Council this week agreed to test street sweeping enforcement every Thursday beginning on Oct. 4 in northern Lakewood, where about 4,000 households will be affected, said city spokesman Don Waldie.

There will be two sets of street-sweeping hours: 7 a.m. to noon and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Implementing a citywide program would guarantee that streets would be well swept and prevent more trash from ending up in storm drains and ultimately the ocean, Waldie said.

Northern Lakewood was picked for the first phase of enforcement because the area's diverse mix of homes, businesses and apartment units allows the city to perfect the sweeping process and deployment of equipment.

"It's a good test area to learn all that we can about rolling out this massive change to people's lives," Waldie said.

As it stands, the city sweeps the streets, but only 34 percent of Lakewood has no-parking signs on street-sweeping days.

Residents in that 34 percent had to petition for the enforcement by securing at least two-thirds support from the neighborhood for streets to be cleared for weekly sweeping.

Citywide enforcement would eliminate the petition process, Waldie said.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

No money for the San Gabriel River?

It seems every time money gets doled out its for the LA River and not the San Gabriel River. Why is that? Also the money seems to be focused on plants an animals but not much on what bike riders need. Not even safety. The LA River has had millions spent on it after the walls were heightened by the Corps of Engineers a few years back due to FEMA's flooding concerns. Lets spend the money on the lower San Gabriel now.


L.B. gets $5M for new parks
City plans to restore, expand parkland near L.A. River
By Jennifer Hall, Staff writer
Article Launched: 07/12/2007 09:34:53 PM PDT

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster presents Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe with what the mayor jokingly called a $5 million T-shirt at Cesar Chavez Park after the supervisor gave Foster a check for the same amount to be used to improve Long Beach parks. (Steven Georges / Press-Telegram)

LONG BEACH - Visions for more parks and open spaces in Long Beach moved closer to reality Thursday when the county of Los Angeles gave the city $5 million for projects along the Los Angeles River.

"Today we're going to launch a program that is going to preserve and restore wetlands and park lands for generations to come," Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said. "It will be something that you and your grandchildren can enjoy."

The money will go toward four separate sections that are part of the Long Beach RiverLink project. Of the money announced Thursday, $1 million will be for a greenbelt connecting Drake and Chavez parks, $2.5 million will go to the development of the DeForest Wetlands, $1 million will be put toward the Wrigley Greenbelt between Willow and 34th Streets and $500,000 will be used for the Baker Mini-Park in the Wrigley Heights area.

"This allows us additional parks, more green spaces and I think it goes with all of our visions working together," Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe said. "They have a great vision down here of not only rebuilding and revitalizing but also to improve the quality of life."

The Drake/Chavez Greenbelt will consist of 16 acres of recently acquired land and an additional 0.78 acres that the county money will help purchase. The new land will form a 46-acre greenway and parkland area on the east bank of the Los Angeles River including 23-acre Chavez Park and 6-acre Drake Park. It will include wetlands, trails, open space and a wildlife habitat.

"The areas along the rivers in general are not restored, they wind up being areas where people start dumping stuff," Foster said.

The Drake/Chavez greenbelt will link downtown Long Beach with the Los Angeles River bike trail. Purchase of the land was funded by the city of Long Beach and Los Angeles County using funds from Proposition 13 and Proposition A, as well as city redevelopment money.

A master plan for the greenbelt will be completed by the end of the year at which point the city will attempt to obtain money from Proposition 84 to complete the project.

"You take land that's in pretty bad shape and you convert it back to its natural state," Foster said. "You'll be able to walk through and enjoy things as they were decades and centuries ago."

The area where the greenbelt will be built had the least amount of parks in Long Beach.

"I'm very excited about what this park land will mean to the community in the future in terms of recreation and picnicking and family events," City Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal said.

Lowenthal, who represents the 1st District that includes both Chavez and Drake parks, wants to see an education center and more soccer fields built at the site.

"The most important thing is you take the blighted areas and you rejuvenate and regenerate and rebuild and you really improve the quality of life," Knabe said.

The DeForest Wetlands, part of the Los Angeles County lower Los Angeles River parkway plan, will run along the river next to the 710 Freeway. It will include the re-creation of 34 acres of historic wetlands, scrub and woodland habitat, recreational areas and improvements in water quality and flood control.

An additional $3 million is required to complete the $5.5 million project. The city has applied for a grant to reach that amount, said Phil Hester, director for Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department.

The Wrigley Greenbelt will cover 8 acres between Willow and 34th Streets that will include native plants, a multipurpose trail and a rest area along the Los Angeles River bike trail.

The Baker Mini-Park will be a 1.34-acre neighborhood park in the Wrigley Heights area near the Los Angeles River and San Diego (405) Freeway that will include additional irrigation, playground equipment and picnic tables.

Construction on the projects won't start for two years after design and departmental reviews are completed and the correct permits have been obtained, said Dennis Eschen, manager of planning and development for the Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department.

However, the purchase of the remaining land needed for the Drake/Chavez Greenbelt project will begin immediately.

Potential realignment of the 710 Freeway may change the design plans for the greenbelt and the elimination of Shoreline Drive North could connect Chavez Park with the piece of land between the north and south parts of Shoreline Drive.

The Long Beach Open Space and Recreation Element, approved in October 2002, aims to provide 8 acres of recreational open space per 1,000 residents in Long Beach. To reach that goal, 1,100 acres need to be added to the city's existing 2,855 acres. Currently, there are 5.4 acres per 1,000 residents.

The RiverLink plans will add 217 acres of open space to the Long Beach River area bringing the total to 263 acres.

City officials are seeking new grant funding from Proposition 84, the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy and other state and federal agencies, as well as private sector support to complete the projects.


Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

Can we hire this guy in LA?

Standing up to public safety officers? Oh my God. This guy will be burned at the stake for heresy!


Saturday, July 21, 2007
Supervisor says deputies' pensions are illegal
John Moorlach singles out sheriff's deputies union for cuts.
By PEGGY LOWE
The Orange County Register

An Orange County supervisor's first step to reduce public pensions Friday placed sheriff's deputies on the defensive and triggered a legal battle that could have statewide consequences.

Supervisor John Moorlach, long a [public] union critic [as all politicians should be as public unions are anti taxpayer; LAAG ed.], announced his plan to cut pension benefits retroactively paid to members of the sheriff's deputies union by arguing they are an illegal "gratuity" that must be rescinded. He wants to cut the retirement payments by one-third by creating a "blended" formula.

The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, the only union Moorlach singled out, said it was surprised by the public announcement but will respond to the legal battle. Mike Carre, the union's interim general manager, wondered why Moorlach didn't ask for the union's opinion because the 1,800 members have been working without a contract since October and have been in negotiations.

"In a true collective bargaining environment, one side goes to the other and says, 'We want to talk about it,' " Carre said. "All of a sudden on a Friday morning, Supervisor Moorlach has a press conference."

The announcement comes seven months into Moorlach's first term as a supervisor, and his public launch sets the proposal into high gear. The five-member Board of Supervisors first debates the plan July 31, when Moorlach hopes to win approval to get an injunction that will halt some pension payments to retirees.

"How do you give a nice benefit when no one has paid for it?" Moorlach said, referring to the $2 billion unfunded liability of the county's retirement programs.

If the board gives Moorlach the go-ahead and a court approves an injunction, retirees' payments could be affected within months. The effort could take years, as it's expected to go to the California Supreme Court.

Moorlach seemed hopeful his plan would gather strength statewide, saying he planned first to take the issue to court, and then, "Every other municipality in the state would have to decide what action to take."

But a state coalition working to protect public employees' pensions quickly responded to the plan, calling it illegal and unethical. The county plan, coupled with Moorlach's support of a proposed statewide initiative that would cut the pensions of newly hired public employees, shows he wants to make public workers the "fiscal scapegoat," said Dave Low, chairman of Californians for Health Care and Retirement Security.

Here are the answers to some questions about the plan:

How does Moorlach justify changing a decision approved by a former board in 2002?

The first legal argument centers on the union's asking to reopen an existing contract in 2001 and winning that approval in 2002 for the "3 percent at 50" formula. The formula allows for what critics say is a generous annual pension at age 50 – 3 percent of final pay times years of service – but one the deputy sheriffs say is a well-earned retirement for people who work in dangerous jobs.

Moorlach's plan would blend two formulas, paying the deputies 2 percent for time up through roughly mid-2002 and 3 percent for time served after. He thinks that when the board approved the new formula and applied it retroactively, it was unconstitutional because of debt limitations on local governments and a constitutional ban on public-funds gifts.

Will this plan include the county's other unions?

No. The 13,500-member Orange County Employees Association, which represents the majority of county workers, doesn't fit into Moorlach's legal strategy because its members raised their contributions to pay for its 2.7 percent-at-55 formula.

How many people will be affected?

There are no specific figures, but it's estimated the plan could affect about 2,800 employees and 500 retirees.

Would Moorlach's plan save the county money?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is a little more difficult. County analysts haven't made a determination. Moorlach said the plan could save the county $184 million to $550 million, but it could also cost the county law-enforcement officers. Carre predicted many people thinking of joining the Sheriff's Department, as well as many current employees, may go to one of the city police forces, which use the 3 percent-at-50 formula.

SANTA ANA – Past pension benefits paid to members of the sheriff's deputies union are an illegal "gratuity" that must be rescinded, Supervisor John Moorlach said today.

In the formal announcement of his plan to cut public safety employees' retirement by a third, Moorlach said he will first seek an injunction against retroactive payments made on years served before 2002, creating a new "blended" formula for pensions.

Moorlach outlined a legal strategy he will ask the Board of Supervisors to approve July 31, hoping for long-promised public pension reform and stirring a political pot that will undoubtedly infuriate the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs union.

Wayne Quint, the union's president, did not return several calls seeking comment.

If the injunction is won, it could affect retirees' payments within months. That, in turn, could send some retirees back to work and certainly change life plans about spending. The entire effort could take years, as it's expected to go to the California Supreme Court.

Moorlach acknowledged that his proposal could affect hundreds of retirees and those still working.

"We're talking about people's lives, so we're not excited about what we're going to share," Moorlach acknowledged. "But we also have taxpayers who are going to pay a high price."

The three key legal arguments all center on the union's asking to reopen an existing contract in 2001 and winning approval in 2002 for the "3 percent at 50" formula. That allows for what critics say is a generous annual pension at age 50, but one that the deputy sheriffs say is a well-earned retirement for people who work in dangerous jobs.

Moorlach's plan blends two formulas, paying the deputies 2 percent for years before 2002 and 3 percent for the years served post-2002. He believes that when the Board of Supervisors approved the new formula, and applied it retroactively, it violated three provisions of the California Constitution:

Debt limitations on local governments.

The ban on gifts of public funds.

The barring of extra compensation for work already performed.

The 13,500-member Orange County Employees Association, which represents the majority of county workers, doesn't fit into Moorlach's legal strategy because its members upped their contributions to pay for its "2.7 percent at 55" formula.

Although he didn't have specific figures, it's estimated that the plan could affect about 2,800 employees and an estimated 500 retirees. Moorlach said the plan could save the county $184 million to $550 million.

Long a critic of public pensions, Moorlach has had several public battles with the deputy sheriffs union. That fight intensified last year after the union endorsed and helped finance his challenger. After the election, Moorlach called union leaders "thugs," then quickly called for an audit of a multimillion-dollar health-insurance fund administered by union leaders. He said the deputies should also accept the same cuts on retiree medical benefits that other employees took last year.

Union leaders fired back, sending 870 signed letters to Supervisor Chris Norby, the board's chairman, asking him to bar Moorlach from attending law-enforcement functions and funerals. During a dramatic board meeting in January, uniformed deputies showed up in force and told the board that being called thugs was irresponsible and demoralizing.

Skyrocketing public pension costs have gained attention across California, and many are urging state and local governments to trim the benefits or change how they are funded.

In December, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed a 12-member commission to identify how much the governments owe and suggest ways to fund the benefit programs. Orange County faces a $2 billion deficit in its pension system and $1.3 billion for retirees' medical benefits.

Rich Wagner, president of the Lincoln Club, a group of GOP power brokers, said he hadn't heard of Moorlach's plan. But the county's unfunded liability is "irresponsible" and shouldn't be left for future generations to pay with their taxes, he said.

"Whatever is done, it's prudent for the supervisors to take a look at the cause of that and what should be done for the future," he said.

Contact the writer: (714) 932-1484 or plowe@ocregister.com

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

Bloggers as watchdogs

This is why we need the internet to remain free and "neutral". Without the internet LAAG could not exist. Blogs are the "printing press" of the 21st century. They will become even more important in the future. The question is who is going to run them or run them off.... Just look at some of the blogs and website we link to. Very important info that you cant find on nbc.com (well at least for those that are not brain dead or just interested in celebrity "news")

Bloggers take aim at city governments -- and hit home

Some websites are watchdogs, others are just scurrilous, but their influence on the cities they cover is growing.
By Jonathan Abrams
Times Staff Writer
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-blogs23jul23,1,7719611,full.story?coll=la-headlines-california
From the Los Angeles Times


July 23, 2007

"Grandpa Terrace" didn't mince words. He wanted the mayor of Grand Terrace, a small city wedged between two scenic mountain ridges in San Bernardino County, run out of office.

The anonymous blogger posted documents on his website that, he said, showed that Mayor Maryetta Ferre and Mayor Pro Tem Lee Ann Garcia were beholden to developers putting up big-box stores such as Lowe's.

"We need to recall them now," "Grandpa Terrace" fumed a year ago. "We don't want more traffic, more crime, dayworkers just to bring in some pocket change, when the cost to the city will go up to combat the problems brought by these types of development."

His rants helped fuel a recall effort last year against the two council members. Although the campaign ultimately failed, his blog was another example of the growing influence of citizen journalists roiling communities across Southern California, many of which rarely are covered by newspapers or other traditional media outlets.

These muckraking bloggers say they have stepped in to fill the government watchdog vacuum. Some are anonymous, others are scurrilous and, on occasion, possibly libelous. And to local politicians, most are a royal pain in the tuchis.

Bloggers in the San Gabriel Valley have raised the alarm about a possible budget crisis in Sierra Madre; ones in the Inland Empire have written about the high costs of trimming city trees in Claremont and allegations that killers are getting away with murder in Pomona.

"We realize in today's electronic environment, it's a fact of life," said Grand Terrace City Manager Thomas Schwab. "The thing that's the most disturbing is they can put things on the blog that have no basis in fact, and you really can't refute it."

It may only be a matter of time before bloggers start to have a major influence in local politics and policymaking.

"It's inexpensive, and my guess is there are a lot of people who find it fun," said Matthew Spitzer, former USC Law School dean.

"There have always been citizens who love to go to city council meetings and see what's going on. Putting it on a blog makes it a lot easier and it increases accessibility to 24/7."

In Grand Terrace, the recall effort fell about 500 signatures short of the 1,506 needed to trigger the election. A citizen-driven group, buoyed by the blog, collected signatures at a Stater Bros. market and mailed petitions to residents.

"For years the city of Grand Terrace tried to keep residents in the dark," said resident Jo Springfield, a strong supporter of the recall effort. "The blog enlightened many residents to start asking questions and going to meetings."

Several bloggers interviewed by The Times insisted on anonymity, saying they feared a backlash from city officials.

All said they were residents of the area they report on and got involved because their community did not receive enough coverage from the traditional media.

"We want our words to stand on our own, and with anonymity, the only way someone can judge us is by what we write," said Publius of the Foothill Cities News Blog, who takes his pseudonym from the Roman whose name was used by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison when they wrote the Federalist Papers.

"If we send an e-mail to an elected official, the odds are we won't get a response," he said. "But if enough people read it, they are going to have to respond at some point."

The Foothill Cities Blog, which covers several cities in the San Gabriel Valley, was the first to report that Assemblywoman Nell Soto (D-Pomona) was absent from the Capitol for 25 days because of pneumonia. It was later reported that she still collected more than $20,000 in per diem pay.

The website also has been critical of Pomona's high crime rate, saying that the local press ignores the issue.

"It took a rash of violent crime, or should I say a rash of violent crime that finally received lots of press, but the council's new focus on law enforcement is commendable," said a post in June applauding efforts to hire additional law enforcement officers.

But the praise is mixed with criticism aimed at Pomona officials. The site drew the ire of administrators in May after posting that its city manager was forced to step down ­ which city officials said was untrue.

"It took me back to high school days when you gossip with girlfriends," said Pomona Mayor Norma Torres, adding that she may start her own blog to communicate directly with constituents. "Some of the information reads like a gossip column."

Pomona City Atty. Arnold M. Alvarez-Glasman sent a cease-and-desist letter to the website, ordering it to remove the post.

"While the City of Pomona strongly supports an individual's First Amendment Rights … it is difficult to respond to anonymous fabrications such as those published by you in your web-site publication," he wrote.

The website took down the post but enlisted free-speech attorney Jean-Paul Jassy to respond.

"In many ways, these kinds of sites are at the cutting edge and more modern vision of commentary," Jassy said. "The Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court placed a high premium on making sure freedom of speech is protected, especially when it comes to commenting on public officials."

It is the anonymity that separates the bloggers from professional journalists, said Michael Parks, director of the journalism program at USC's Annenberg School for Communication.

"Journalists need to accept responsibility for their reporting and comments, and that provides for them to be identified," said Parks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who is a former editor of the Los Angeles Times.

"Anonymous blogs are similar to writing something up, not signing it and putting it on a bulletin. It's more social commentary than anything."

Although blogs are protected under the 1st Amendment, they are vulnerable to libel lawsuits, said Erwin Chemerinsky, a Duke University constitutional law professor.

They present unique 1st Amendment challenges.

"They cannot have defamatory speech any more than a traditional media type; however, the difficulty with an anonymous blog is who is actually doing the blogging?" he said. "And if you ask a server to take it down, what happens if they refuse?"

Two years ago, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that an elected official who makes a defamation claim against an anonymous blogger must have substantial evidence to support the claim. Otherwise the lawsuit could not proceed and the blogger would remain masked.

A similar case has yet to be heard in California.

The California Supreme Court, however, ruled last year that Internet service providers and bloggers cannot be held liable for posting defamatory material written by someone else. The case was brought by two doctors who said they were defamed by a San Diego activist for victims of problem breast implants who called one doctor "arrogant and bizarre" and the other "a bully and a Nazi."

In Claremont, former Mayor Diann Ring threatened the Claremont Insider blog with a defamation suit.

The blog has criticized moves by the city's landscaping and lighting district assessments and targeted former city officials, including Ring, for contracting with a water agency outside the city.

"When you turn on your tap, when you pay your water bill, or if your house burned down in 2003, think of Diann Ring; in fact, call her up and thank her personally for her 'vision,' " one April post said.

Claremont Mayor Peter S. Yao said the blog provided a bit of insight but had to be taken with a grain of salt.

"It certainly is one additional input for the City Council on how some of the population feels on certain issues," he said. "Occasionally, it sheds a little light on a situation, but most of the time it is a rumor mill."

For all the furor the blogs create, city officials could take a cue from Fontana Mayor Mark Nuaimi.

Nuaimi routinely posts on a blog in his city and said he welcomed it as a way to communicate with citizens.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat things," he said. "If somebody misses the issue, I'll tell them. I'm sure folks in the future will use whatever I've written and will twist it. Frankly, my job is to do my job, and part of my job is to answer people's questions."

jonathan.abrams@latimes.com

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

RV plan deemed unsafe

LAAG is going to have to call BS on the fire dept again. Lots of junk cars and huge RVs jammed in between single family homes is fine. Fireworks are fine. Nurseries and or dry brush under high power lines is fine. Homes backing up to powerlines are fine. But dont park an RV under them. Lets see this "study". Post it on the web. I know people who have lived right next to the powerlines since the early 1960's. Never had a fire. I think this is related to the LA Times story a few months back where a bunch of Pasadena residents got all fired up over this and so they likely leaned on the Fire Dept. to come up with a "study" (the folks in Pasadena actually partake in political activism unlike Lakewood residents). Again show us a fire anywhere in the state involving high power lines that was somehow made MORE unsafe for a firefighter due to an RV parked under them. Next they will say RV's cause the lines to fall. No intelligence or facts there folks. Just a parade of "what ifs". Sorta like the Bush administration before going into Iraq. Maybe the fire departments better stick to their roles as permanent heroes and get out of the politics business.


RV plan deemed unsafe
County Fire Dept. decision dooms right-of-way storage proposal.
By Karen Robes, Staff writer
Article Launched: 07/12/2007 09:32:17 PM PDT

LAKEWOOD - Los Angeles County Fire Department officials Thursday quashed efforts to develop a storage facility for 350 recreational vehicles on a utility right-of-way near Woodruff Avenue because the project posed an extreme fire hazard.

Fire Marshal Scott Poster sent city officials a new fire code regulation Thursday that now prohibits the construction of an RV and trailer storage facility beneath a transmission power line.

News of the new regulation crushes Lakewood's hopes of having 350 12-foot-wide by 40-foot-long RV spaces on the Southern California Edison right-of-way stretching from Allington Street to the Lakewood Community Gardens.

The project would have helped ease hundreds of RV owners' concerns about finding storage since new city laws took effect July 1.

Tired of the blight and traffic safety hazards posed by the oversized vehicles, residents voted in November to ban RV and trailer parking on city streets without a three-day permit.

"We thought we found a solution and we were of course disappointed when we heard from the Fire Department," Mayor Diane DuBois said. "But we have to abide by that."

The Fire Department decided to explore projects built underneath high-voltage transmission lines after Edison decided to lease out land to developers wanting to build self-storage, commercial buildings and projects other than light/agricultural, Poster said.

An official from Southern California Edison could not be reached for comment.

After conducting extensive research - which involved speaking with Edison consultants and assembling a power-line safety committee - Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman determined that firefighters and the public would be placed in unnecessary risks, including electrocution, if the high-voltage cables were to catch fire and land on a structure while a firefighter is putting out a blaze, Poster said.

"The dangers well exceeded the advantages," Poster said.

Also, power line failure could affect cities served by the cables, he added.

Despite the collapse of the 350-space project, residents may still see another storage facility being developed on Woodruff Avenue, just south of South Street.

Jim Isham, nine-year owner of Jim's Automotive on 5414 Woodruff Ave., has been working with the city to develop the property behind his business into an RV storage facility.

Isham, a Lakewood resident, said if his project is approved, his facility would provide 80 storage spaces and he would give priority to Lakewood residents.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

Long Beach Web Of Bike Trails Moves Ahead

http://www.gazettes.com/biketrail07262007.html

New City Web Of Bike Trails Moves Ahead
7/26/07
By Kelly Garrison
Features Editor

Plans for new bicycle trails that would connect paths from the San Gabriel River to the Los Angeles River will soon enter the design phase.

The Long Beach City Council approved unanimously on Tuesday a proposal to begin the “East-West Bikeway Connections and Signage Program” project, which would create new trail connections and new signs identifying them. Traffic and Transportation Manager Abdollah Ansari said that bicyclists will find “comprehensive coverage throughout the city” once the project is in place.

The design will consist of three parts. First, a bikeway will link the downtown area to the southeastern portion of the city — with additional connections to Orange County, the San Gabriel River, the Alamitos Bay area and the Seal Beach bike route system.

Another bikeway will link California State University, Long Beach, with the San Gabriel River Bike Path. Some paths will line busy roadways, while others will be situated in residential areas, Ansari said.

“It will provide local and regional circulation,” he said. “For a beach city, it’s good to have a continuous bike path system. People will be able to get to other areas by taking these river paths.”

The third phase adds signage throughout the system.

The city currently has bike paths that link different areas of the city, including the Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath, but has no connector between the San Gabriel and Los Angeles rivers. Other trails include the Los Angeles River Bikeway, the San Gabriel River Bike Trail and the El Dorado and Heartwell park bike paths.

They range from two to about 30 miles in length.

“Right now, these are just scattered connections,” Ansari said. “This will provide alternative movements for recreational and commuting purposes.”

In addition, new signs and stenciling will be placed within the area of the project to warn vehicles of bikers on roadways. Designs also will include a new city bikeway logo to promote the paths for current and potential bicyclists, he said.

The project design should be completed by early next year, he said, with construction beginning by Dec. 31, 2008.

The paths likely would open within a year of their completion.

City officials chose KOA Corporation, based in Tustin, to design and develop the plans after reviewing proposals from two other firms.

The design phase will cost about $98,000 and will be paid for by federal and city money.

For more information about city bike paths, visit the city’s Web site at www.longbeach.gov/park.

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™

Perhaps a Presidential limo?

Sigh...this stuff never ends. "We work in state/local govt. We are privileged. We are the ruling class. We dont want to hear complaints from you 'little people'. Just pay your taxes and shut up." Hmmm well I guess the 'little people' found the internet. Read more about that here.


http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_6438788
Officials balk at driving hybrids
County supervisors cling to gas-guzzlers
By Alison Hewitt Staff Writer
7/26/07

The Board of Supervisors voted to encourage the county to use hybrid vehicles a year and a half ago, but several supervisors are still buying and driving regular gasoline-powered cars.

The supervisors asked in 2005 that the county buy hybrids for the county fleet to protect the environment.

But some of the supervisors and their press deputies described hybrids as generally too small for the county's five elected representatives, although all 16 new cars purchased for the supervisors' staffs since late 2005 have been hybrids.

"I don't see any benefit to driving large, non-hybrid vehicles on the highways," said Mark Bernstein, a USC politics professor and member of the USC future fuels and energy initiative.

"Hybrids are significantly cleaner than other vehicles," Bernstein said. "It's not like the electric vehicle, those tiny cars that were out a few years ago. Hybrids are regular cars."

Supervisor Michael Antonovich's press deputy said Antonovich, who has a Cadillac, is too tall and spends too many hours traveling each day to be comfortable in a hybrid.

Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said she would need a hybrid large enough to ferry her and her constituents around, but
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the hybrid waiting list was too long when she got her Chrysler.

A spokeswoman for Supervisor Gloria Molina said Molina wanted an American car, but American-made hybrids were unsatisfactory, so she stuck with a Buick. Even Supervisor Don Knabe, who does drive a hybrid, noted that it was smaller than what he was used to.

Four of the five supervisors have replaced their county-provided vehicles since enacting the policy.

The cars are bought with county funds, then either leased by the supervisors for $670 per month - after they receive a $620-per-month car allowance and $70-per-month parking allowance - or the supervisors are taxed for their personal use of the vehicle, said Don Ashton, the administrative deputy for the executive office of the Board of Supervisors.

The county has replaced 170 cars in the fleet with environmentally friendly, gas-sipping hybrids, primarily Toyota Priuses.

Conversely, the supervisors' replacement autos have been large cars.

Molina drives a Buick Lucerne, bought by the county for $32,409; Burke has a Chrysler 300, bought for $37,854; Antonovich has a Cadillac DTS, bought for $31,663; and Knabe a hybrid Toyota Highlander, bought for $39,795.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who still drives the same car as when he and Antonovich authored the motion supporting hybrids, has a Buick Park Avenue, bought for $27,600.

There aren't many hybridized luxury vehicles available for those who prefer larger cars, said Matt Miyasato, a technology demonstration manager at the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

"Hybrids are better for the air than a regular gasoline-powered car," said Miyasato. "For air quality, there are some equivalent models out there among regular gasoline-powered cars, but where the hybrids really shine is in fuel economy."

The AQMD's "Clean Air Choice Vehicles" list includes the Prius, listing it as getting up to 60 miles per gallon. The list also includes Knabe's hybrid Highlander at up to 33 mpg. Also on the list, as a "Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle," is Molina's regular Buick Lucerne at up to 29 mpg.

"When you look at the Clean Air Choice list, there are very few large luxury vehicles on the list," Miyasato said.

The motion the supervisors passed in November 2005 called for cars to be replaced with hybrids only "where practical and economically feasible."

"This motion is designed to have the county make a priority out of buying ... hybrid vehicles," Yaroslavsky said at the 2005 meeting. "We can contribute in that way to cleaning our air ... we can do something about conserving fuel."

Tony Bell, Antonovich's press deputy, said the 6-foot-3-inch supervisor has to spend an unusual amount of time in his car - three to four hours daily - to traverse his large district and meet with constituents.

"For the supervisor's job, a large sedan is more suitable for covering an area twice as large as Rhode Island," Bell said. "Hybrids are small by design. They are lightweight, the materials can be fairly flimsy, and the interiors are not that large."

USC's Bernstein disagreed.

"A Prius is a really nice car. It's not a chintzy little car ... (and) the Prius meets all the crash tests that everyone else does," he said. "I would ask them if they actually went in to drive one ... They're not as big as a Cadillac DTS, but do they need that size vehicle?"

Those of Antonovich's deputies who have hybrids spend less time in the car than the supervisor, Bell said.

"It was Supervisor Antonovich's motion that began the process of replacing retired cars with hybrids," Bell noted.

Knabe also found hybrids to be too small, but ultimately settled on the SUV hybrid Highlander.

"Other than it being smaller than what I'm used to, it's very comfortable," Knabe said. "I'd driven some of my staff's Priuses, and I liked the feel of it, but they were way too small. It sounds hokey, but I wanted to do my share (for the environment)."

Burke said when she replaced her last car, there were no hybrids available for her or her deputies because there was a waiting list. She said she would be interested in exchanging her Chrysler, which she added gets 16 mpg in city streets, for a hybrid when her lease ends next year, especially now that hybrids are getting bigger.

"We have to get cars sufficient to be able to carry constituents or staff ... so we do have to have something of a certain size," Burke said.

Yaroslavsky, who co-authored the motion encouraging the purchase of hybrids, will keep driving his Buick until it's time to replace it, said his press deputy, Joel Bellman.

"Zev definitely intends to replace his car with a hybrid," Bellman said.

Molina's press deputy, Roxanne Marquez, said the supervisor prefers an American car.

"She did research to see if there were any hybrid vehicles that were to her liking, but it was important to her to drive an American-made car, and the only two American-made hybrids at the time in `07 were SUVs, and she was not comfortable driving one," Marquez said. "She is used to Buick, therefore we stuck with that."

Bernstein acknowledged that American-made hybrid options are limited.

"You really don't have too many options if you're buying U.S.," he said. "You basically have to buy the Ford Escape or the Lincoln."

alison.hewitt@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2730

Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA
A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™