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Home My Public Portal About12-17-87 TRAFFIC & PARKING COMMISSION (2)PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS SCHEDULED MATTERS INFORMATIONAL, ITEMS COMMISSION ORAL CQ9MENTS ADJOURNMENT 11 V. ' W / AGENDA ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AT ; THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE? 'TRAFFIC LYNWOOD AND PARKTNG COMP SSION _ TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 17, 1987 AT 6: RF-`b E IV E D CITY OF LYNWOOD I CITY CLERKS OFFICE OPENING CEREMONIES DEC 15 1987. AM PM q I S 191ID 111112111213141516 ] CALL FOR ORDER - CHAIRMAN WRIGHT 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, - 3. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF POSTING L 4 ROLL CALL OF COMMISSIONERS ROBERT ARCHAMBAULT WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM VICTORIA SIMPSON JOE DARYL BATTLE RONALD WRIGHT 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS SCHEDULED MATTERS INFORMATIONAL, ITEMS COMMISSION ORAL CQ9MENTS ADJOURNMENT 11 f THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LYN-WOOD November 19, 1.987 A regular meeting of the Traffic and. Parking Commission of the City of Lynwood was held on the above date in the Conference Room of Lynwood City Hall, 11330 Bullis Road, Lynwood, California at 6:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairman Wright. Commissioners Archambault, Battle, Cunningham, Simpson and Chairman Wright answered roll call.. Present were Sergeant Eshelman, Lvnwood Sheriff's Department, Deputy Rosenoauer, Lynwood Sheriff's Department, James Devore, Associate Civil Engineer, Jahanshah Oskoui, Civil Engineering Assistant and Oretha Williams, Engineering Division. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF POSTING: Jahanshah Oskoui announced that the Agenda of November 19, 1987, was duly- posted 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Cunningham motioned to accept the minutes of October 22, 1987, and Commissioner Archambault seconded the motion. The motion was passed unanimously. PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There were none. SCHEDULED MATTERS 6. Election of'New Officers.For the Traffic and Parking Commission. Commissioner 'Archambault; was nominated for Chairman for the Traffic.and Parkirig Commission by:Chairman Wright. Commissioner Battle was nominated for Co- Chairman for the Traffic and Parking Commission by Commissioner Simpson The Commissioners _ motioned to accept the nomination of officers.. Commissioner Commissioner Archambault. seconded "lie motion.. The_ motion was passed unanimously ° INFORMATIONAL ITEMS - Jahanshah OSkotli briefly discussed each of the following .Informational Items: 1. Bus Pad Construction Project:, Stilly Miller.Contracting Company has completed the construction of 5 bus "pads at various locations. The work was completed on Monday, November 16, 1987. The company is scheduled to clean up the locations next week. 2. Sidewalk Reconstruction Projects F1' 1986 -87 The Notice to Proceed was issued to FAV Engineering. The company will reconstruct approximately 4,152 square feet of sidewalk, 1,000 square feet of asphalt pavement, 500 linear feet of curb and gutter. The project is being funded by Gas Tax Fund 3. Southern California - Edison Underground District Southern California Edison is undergrounding utilities along Imperial Highway from Norton Avenue to Pine Street. 4. Christmas Decoration Project: Ten 'light poles at five locations along the Christmas parade route will be installed to handle the extra weight of the Christmas decorations. C. T. & F. Contracting Company is doing the job. Wires have been installed and on Friday, No% -ember 20, 1987, the poles will be erected. The Christmas decorations will be hung prior to the Christmas Parade to be held on Friday, December 4, 1987. 5. City Project Entrance Signs: The bid opening for the City Entrance signs was held in the City Clerks office on Thursday, November 19, 1987. Excel Paving Company, was the lowest of five bidders, with a bid of $109,000.00. A bid analogy will be conducted. JayKim Engineers under estimated the project at $55,000. 6. Reconstruction of Atlantic Avenue, From Century Boulevard To Beechwood Avenue. A contract will be issued to Sully Miller Contracting. Company, who was the lowest bidder, to reconstruct: Atlantic Avenue, from Century Boulevard to Beechwood Avenue. The Engineer's estimate for this project is $300,000 a 2 7. Request for I'nstal.lation of one Handicapped Street Parking Space - 11136 Duncan Avenue: An application was received from Mrs. Taylor who resides at •11136 Duncan-Avenue to have street handicapped parking space installed in front of her resident. The application and other supporting documents were attached to tie examined and reviewed by the Commissioners. Commissioner Cunningham raised the question of the party not having access to opening van door and lowering lift. .James Devore stated that recently a gate was installed at the property for small children and now her husband is unable to get, out of his van. 8. Complaint Report For October, 1987: The Department of Public Works had a 16% increase in complaints for October in comparison to September's complaints. 36% of the complaints are due to street sweeping problems. COMMISSION ORALS Commissioner. Cunningham stated that there is a water ponding problem on Fracar Avenue and Imperial Highway. James Devore replied that there are no gutters in the area and the City is constructing concrete gutters. The Commissioners discussed the freeway construction design and changes. Commissioner Cunningham discussed the daily 5:00 p.m. traffic jams and flashing red signal lights on Imperial Highway between Alameda Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. Commissioner Cunningham stated that in the mornings on - the Northwest side of of Imperial Highway and Bullis Road, a brown van parks cross the sidewalk and pedestrians are forced to walk into the street. He asked the Sheriff's Department to look into the matter. Commissioner Battle requested information regarding the chemical spill in Lynwood which occurred approximately three, weeks ago. He asked if Engineering would be able to obtain and provide information at the nest meeting. Commissioner Archambault asked if- the light; at: Cornish AN enue and Imperial Highway have been ret.imeci James Devore stated that the case i.s under stude in - the Engineering Division 3 Commissioner - Archambault expressed concern of traffic hark up problem on Imperial Highway at Apri.cot.Stre6t. lie asked if the red light could be changed. James Devore replied that Engineering i.ill' check out_the matter' James Devore announced that he was informed by the City Clerk, to officially change the time of the Traffic and Parking Commission meetings to 6 00 p.m., an ordinance will have to be submitted to the City Council. for approval. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Commissioner Archambault to adjourn the meeting to December 17, 1987, at 6 00 p m., of the Traffic and Parking Commission in the City Council Chambers. It was seconded by Commissioner Simpson. The meeting adjourned at (7 05 p.m.). TO:: S ;0 INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1 2 M 4 5. Sidewalk Construction Project F1 1986 -87 The construction phase of the subject project is 95% complete. The project is within budget and will be completed within the specified time frame. Bus Pad Construction Project. The construction and final clean up of the subject project has been completed. The acceptance item for this project will be presented to the Council for approval on December 28, 1987. Reconstruction of atlantic Avenue From Century Boulevard To Beechwood Avenue: The bid opening for the subject project was held on October 22, 1987. Sully - Miller Contracting Company of Long Beach, is the lowest bidder with a bid of $298,819.29. The agreement for the subject project has been signed and a pre- construction meeting is going to be scheduled for the week of December 21, 1987. The construction will start in the early part of ,January 1988. The completion time is 45 working dais. Gutter Construction - Fracar Avenue. In order to eliminate the water ponding problem and consequently deteriated asphalt pavement in front of 10870 - 10934 Fracar Avenue, the City is installing approximately 360 linear feet of concrete gutter. The City Council awarded the project to Lakewood Construction Company- for $6,898.50. The project is presently under construction and will be completed by December 18, 1987. City Project Entrance Signs: The bid opening for the subject project was held on November 17, 1987. The lowest apparent bidder is Excel Paving Companv with a bid of $109,856. Staff will present the results of the bid analysis to the Council on December 28, 1987, and request for awarding the project to Excel Paving Company 6. Off -Site Improvements In Relation With Mini Center Developments. o Northwest corner of Imperial Highway - Atlantic Avenue The off -site improvements at the subject location included widening of Atlantic Avenue and Imperial Highway; relocations of catch basin and traffic signals. The project is 90% complete. o Southeast corner of Tweedy Boulevard and State Street The site improvements included widening of State Street, in front of the subject property-; relocation of traffic signals and controller, and installation of a bus pad. The project is 80% complete. 7. Complaints - Month of November 1987 The Department of Public Works received 98 complaints during the month of November 1987. This is a reduction of 43 percent: compared to the 172 complaints that were received during the month of October. A great part of this reduction would be attributed to the 81% decrease is the number of street sweeping complaints. Please refer to attachment for a break down summary of complaints. T02.970 Movrl :90V-3 • Y EAR TYp6 OF Co Pl a i of s Nok4Er o CoM I vt}S T"sk P� C.1- -u Cleaw - �_ lo+ — Quf we S6GE{ SWCEplNg CI AN S+'e TzEE TRIM - TQ-FF. kr� Movj Cdr, I wcK - C� � t Gu4g- [ d i n WaIE70- s Leg Tm f pc- Sow - Tm{�r_ sans - alf S NCOMI►1C� �p R EsolvEd a uNRq� YO / G Vo 2 16 &� ' 3 7 i 5 5 7 3 L/:3 0 I ZC L0 MA � (c To 4 L 67 �> .0 f / G Vo 2 16 &� ' 3 3 /a 50 o MA � (c To 4 L 67 �> A Developer Disclosure - of Future Roads Asked By DAVE LESHER, Times Staff Writer Orange County Supervisor Don R. Roth has proposed a state law that would require developers to notify new home buyers of any' major public. ,roads planned for nearby areas. Roth said he wants to cut down on community opposition to road projects and believes that the legis- lation probably would save the county money it might spend on changing its plans or litigating disputes. It might also preserve a good relationship between the county and the community, he said. "I'm heading off - future battles that will certainly come up when people look out their windows and see somebody grading an eight - lane freeway," Roth said, "It sounds like logic to me." Roth said that when he was mayor of Anaheim the city was forced to change the course of a major street it already had ap- proved because of opposition from . new homeowners who were un- aware of longstanding plans to build the artery His proposal is based in part, he said, on concern over community awareness of county plans for three new trans- portation corridors. The county Environmental Man- agement Agency reviewed Roth's proposal and agreed that it should be proposed as a state law. The agency will present the idea to the county's Legislative Planning Committee, possibly this week, where officials will decide whether to include it in the county's pack- age of recommended state legisla- tion. In fact, the Environmental Man-. agement Agency wanted to expand Roth's proposal to include all major public facilities, such as jails and landfills. "Why not ? ",saidagency Director Ernie Schneider. "If you're going to Here are some disclosures to prospective new home buyers already required by state law: • Locations of nearby schools. • Transportation available. • History of flooding. • Nearby shopping locations. • Utility companies. • Fees payable to all special districts. Source Orange County Business and lndustryAssn notify people of what's going on, put it in there." But the proposal was scaled back to include only roads after the county's Sacramento lobbyist sug- gested that the addition of projects like jails and landfills could make it more difficult to pass in the Legis- lature. Roth, a former real estate agent; agreed. "The more items you add, the more opposition you're; going to get," he said. • a Irvine Co. , Vice President Carol Hoffman said her company has long been an 'advocate of buyer. notification. She said the company, the largest landowner in Orange County, already provides all of its buyers with notification of such things as highway, projects and helicopter overflights. Stanley Bunker, real estate rep- resentative for the Orange County Business and Industry Assn., said the proposal presents a sticky is- sue. - "For things that, are proposed d tf d dto Expands Existing Law an no un a appear m a public report is probably not to the ad- Roth's proposal would expand an vantagebf eitherahe developer or t existing state law that requires the homeowner," Bunker said. "I don't know —is it going to curb the developers give new home buy- developer's sales ... and is it ers a report outlining a variety of " facilities and conditions in the areas' going to scare away somebody's where they are buying. The list interest to buy when there might includes locations of schools and never be a freeway ?" Schneider said Orange County shopping centers „flood zones and fees to sewer or lighting districts. ' already has a law that requires The disclosure, which_ is pre- developers to reveal all proposed pared by developers under penalty major public facilities, including roads, jails and landfills, in the of perjury, is called a "white re- model, homes for their develop - port; and it must be signed by a, ments ' new home buyer during the pur= But Schneider said the county's chase process. The plan has not been formally enforcement is not substantial and the law'does not require that the presented to .the Orange County buyer see the disclosures in the business community, but it already model homes before purchase has received some response. - - LOS ANGELES TIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1987 L.A. Police Panel to Pay for Horse Patrol E M U Z M C7 D [-7 M C) M 3 M m A lD r CD Cn D z M r m —I 3 M By ESTHER SCHRADER and GEORGE RAMOS, Times Staff Writers LOS ANGELES — Bolstered by an unexpected gift of $495,000 from a philanthropic organization, the city Police Commission on Tuesday approved a proposal to create a full -time mounted patrol unit. The commission action, which must be affirmed, by the City Council and Mayor Tom Bradley, would create a 32- officer mounted posse to replace the volunteer unit that was formed in 1981. The 3 -0 commission vote came .as a great relief to the mounted officers, who volunteered their own horses and services at many public events but had to pay for almost all the expenses:they in- curred. "The experiment had gone on long enough," Lt. David Aikens, the volunteer unit's commander, said after the vote. "We jusL said, 'Hey, we've run out of money We just can't pull this on our own anymore. "' The proposed full -time unit was rejected two years ago because of money considerations, despite the volunteer unit's acknowledged success at suppressing crime at beaches, shopping centers, parks and in downtown Los Angeles. Although the commission's ac- tion earmarked. $729,000 from the city to establish the unit, a $495,000 gift from the Beverly Hills -based Ahmanson Foundation seemed to sway the department and the com- mission. Robert H. Ahmanson, chairman of the foundation's board, said Tuesday he decided to donate the money to buy stables for the police unit after reading about th'e volun- teer squad's financial plight in The Times. "This is something we can move on as a foundation, where it would . take the city months to decide what to do, and by that time, it would be- gone," he said. The foundation, he. said, has agreed to buy the Los Feliz Stables in- Atwater, - near, Griffith Park, and donate. the two -acre parcel. to the city The stables are adjacent to a llh -acre vacant lot owned by the city Recreation and Parks Depart- ment. Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Robert Vernon said the two lots together would be ideal for the unit. ' The stables went on sale -after one of the owners, Ashkenazy Enterprises of Los Angeles, a real estate firm that owns several luxu- ry hotels, filed for protection from creditors in 'Los Angeles federal Bankruptcy Court last year. For the most part, the mounted unit has been. out of action since July 1, when officers decided that the cost of transporting their hors- es and.equipment to more than 130 i s Is H tD 0 V 10 Part if /Wednesday, December 9, 1987 R SOUTHLAND events a year was too much of a financial burden. The unit saw duty during Pope John Paul II's visit in September and the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov 29. ) Officers were paid for their time and reimbursed at the rate of 25 cents a mile to get their horses to work sites. But the amount of mounted patrol details has in- creased from nine, when the unit was created, to 134 so far this year Under the commission - approved proposal, the $729,000 allocation would pay for the purchase of 40 horses and equipment, construction of new stables in Atwater and vehicles to transport the horses. More money has been set aside for maintenance and equipment, salary upgrading for the 32 perma- nent positions and for five custodial service attendants to look after the horsey Members of Los Angeles Police Department's mounte patrol unit dra attention as they ride throu downtown to assignments. Freeway Billboards Rise Up Again - as Issue in Anaheim By CARLA RIVERA, Times Staff Writer The decades -old battle over bill- boards will be fought again in Anaheim, after the City Council on Tuesday agreed to consider an ordinance that would allow bill- boards beside some freeways in the city The new sign ordinance is being proposed by Regency Outdoor Ad- vertising Inc., a Los Angeles -based company that proposed a similar ordinance nearly two years ago. The council considered and nar- rowly rejected that proposal after dozens of residents voiced opposi- tion to lifting the city's 20 -year ban on new freeway billboards. i But several council members said Tuesday that the city should consider a new ordinance as a way to increase revenues. Under the proposal, billboard companies would pay a fee of $2 per square foot of sign area. Floyd Farano, an Anaheim at- torney who is representing Regen- cy, said the fee would generate nearly $200,000 per year in city revenues. Companies that built their signs before the 20 -year ordinance was enacted pay just a $100 business license fee, no matter how many signs they own, zoning administra- tor Annika Santalahti said. Even Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood, who opposed the previ- ous ordinance, called the current fee policy "an absolute giveaway " Farano said the new ordinance would lead to an overall reduction of the number of billboards in the city within 10 years and said fewer billboards will temper the public's "negative attitude" toward the in- dustry "It is our belief that signs have become unpopular in the last 20 Years, and the reason is that they inundate every area of the free- ways and communities," he said. "In those cities that regulate and control signs, a negative attitude does not prevail." Under the proposed ordinance, a limited number of billboards would be allowed along certain areas of the Riverside, Orange and Santa Ana freeways. In addition, the maximum number of inner -city billboards would be lowered from eight to four per intersection. Farano said that a study con- ducted by Regency found that, of 206 billboards within the city, 90 do not conform to current building standards. LOS ANGELES TIMES WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1981 Auto Club News Dac I Jan, 15117, 1965 EDrroRUL Vol. 55 40.6 Mary Ann Fisher Eaaalive Editor VInCMI Dereb GinnyPoce Protlucl nMenager John Skmrisr Atlmmislranve Editor Senior Edtls Carol Bywe ty Ma k DonaN Me M Poylon Miller SteK Editor S lag Editor Eric aM M Richard Rodson Paul yIZ Mmhael C. Las MDErrKpr nDnsc Lisa Barks Production Cood:netor Stan HONORARY DIRECTORS J. Leland Atwood 7norrrss L Lowe Amid O Beckman Albert C. Manor Knox Fernand Neil Peeee Me M J Toll STAFF OFFICERS Richard Rodson Resident a Bak er 1 Visa Res:danl Thm a s eC Thomas McKeman „►. Vice Phis dent ROW H. NMe Vice Presitlenl arM T_ E Sullivan Gensal Counsel Vice s I Mme Treasurer Treasurer urer A M Alice Cohen Bism Secretory EXECUTIVE STAFF WIIwnJ. Albs n.....» Anon L Bailey Director, Admi Robert L Dav�npp� Drrect Bruce W Ra all Dire<lor, Mary Ann Fm Duoloc David D. Grayson Direr E Ted HIM 1 Director Gilbert Lanet: b: Pats R McDonald Alan G R Moms Michael L O'Steen Richardson Revell, Jr. Brands Wbteh Robert M. Wright David E P:saon AD1 Keith B Brio�a George C. PaInner Vng:me A Eacnrter John C Argue Rooben W. VV G o ulm Esther R. Gamer Richard Jahraus Mxtyn L Mctmyre Berbera Riordan Lawrence D. Welker John K. Cheninglon Jacob Dekama LeroyW Knutean Jesse E Noms James M Heperman Mettnee C. sn Nbreh Bob McLSIn John Masterson Robert L Mobley, 4 D T. MINer J.D. Sham Ksele J.E Publishers' I Director, Inyc =al County Kern County Kern County Loa Angeles County Los Angeles County Orange County Oran Co rry Rivers de County San Bernardino Couny San Bernardino County San Diego County San Diego County San Diego County San Luis Obispo Couny Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County Tulare County Ventura Couny ADVERTISING Ventura Couny (213)467 -2266 reprinted On the corer. A one -of -a -kind custom Glendale s /Pasadena's growth Freeway make the difference ' n the early 1970s, CEOs and com- pany presidents rarely considered relocating a firm to the western San Gabriel Valley Instead, corporate decision makers interested in mov- ing out of downtown Los Angeles looked to greener pastures like San Diego or Orange County. Urban blight settled over the area like a pall. But times have changed. The San Gabriel Valley of the late 1980s is thriving. Its flagship cities are Glen- dale, which has shed its provincial image, and Pasadena, now a bustling business and entrepreneurial center. What made the difference? For- ward- looking urban planning, aggres- sive redevelopment — and freeways. Yes, freeways. Freeways, .often blamed for a multitude of urban woes, were the answer for Glendale State ' (the Glendale Freeway) and the routes State 134 and Interstate 210 (the Foothill Freeway) comple- mented Interstate 5 (the Golden State Freeway). This has created the so- called Golden Triangle, which has brought vibrant office growth to Glendale's newly revitalized central business district (CBD) and an extraordinary renaissance of com- mercial construction and retail vital- ity to formerly staid Pasadena. According to Larry Warner, direc- tor of real estate and construction at the Glendale regional headquarters of Cigna Healthplans of California, the Glendale Triangle draws in a large labor pool. Outgoing Pasadena Chamber of Commerce president Joel Sheldon, also owner of Vro- man's Books, a Pasadena institution, agrees with Warner. "The 210 Freeway has certainly given access to the eastern San Gabriel Valley as a whole an has 7 -88 1939 Rolls -Royce embodies top -of -the- and Pasadena. line luxury ofa bygone era. Photograph Why? They have provided access by Dennis Adler for two cities with much potential but difficult to rea T he completion of AUTO CLUB NEWS /DEC -!AN 198 0 opened it up to housing. This has enabled the work force to get into not only Pasadena, but Glendale and downtown Los Angeles," Sheldon says in support of the route. Warner says ease of freeway access was a key consideration when Cigna relocated to Glendale in 1981 Also, he says, commuting is much easier on the newer, better - designed free- ways in the area, most of which were completed in the 1970s. Glendale has developed as a major regional financial center, especially since the freeway has come to town. Besides Cigna, other new corporate headquarters include those of First American Title Co. of Los Angeles, Aetna Insurance, Security Pacific Bank and Glendale Federal Savings. 2 Most are located near the freeway. Pasadena is doing well, also, with much of its commercial space filled. Numerous large corporations, including Ralph M. Parsons Co., Avery International, Avon Cosmetics and Kaiser Permanente, came to the area with the freeways. Pasadena also boasts cultural and educational trea- sures that attract people from throughout the Southland and around the world. Location, location, location Access to freeways has enhanced the area's central location. "Because of the freeways, it's no more than 30 to 45 minutes to most of Cigna's facilities from Glendale," Warner says. Ron Hobbs, president of the Pas- adena Central Improvement Asso- ciation, a group interested in the rejuvenation of Pasadena's Old Town district, agrees. "I don't think Pasa- dena's revitalization and the dynamic growth in Old Town would be hap- pening without freeways. For instance, it's only 12 minutes from here to the junction of the Holly- wood Freeway and the 134," he says. "Twelve minutes. That's nothing. People in L.A. are drivers." Former Pasadena assistant city manager Don Pollard, now the prin- cipal in his real estate firm, Pollard - Ralston Associates, believes one of the key reasons businesses are mov- ing to the area is location. "They can get their people out of downtown with its expense and congestion. Small companies in particular find Pasa- dena attractive because of the con- venience," he says. AUTO - 1 A sense of place When talking about Pasadena or Glendale, the word ambience is fre- quently used. The nurturing of this unique quality by city planners and the asset that freeways have been in maintaining community life go hand in hand. "Pasadena has a sense of place," Pollard claims. "It's one of the few Southern California communities which does. We're an older city. The "Glendale has developed as a major regional financial center, especially since the freeway has come to town" freeway complemented our central business district, and our historical center has remained intact" Glendale also has a hometown feel, which its promoters believe is attrac- tive to potential residents —and to corporations. Susan Shick, director of Glendale's Redevelopment Agency, says it's intentional. "We've done a lot of studies on the market- place and on how much development is appropriate. We want to keep a small -town feel with community amenities but still be a force in the market," she says. Shick and Glendale Chamber of Commerce executive vice president Aulden Schlatter, vigorously pro- mote Glendale as a regional corpo- rate and retail center, something that, without freeways, could never have happened. For instance, only 25 per- cent of Glendale's residents also work there, according to Schlatter. Others come from as far away as the South Bay and the San Fernando Valley. And that's another draw. Working in a convenient urban environment attracts employees to live closer to the workplace. "We're getting more people who take a look around, say CLUB NEWS /DEC -!AN 19 'Why driver and move here," Schlatter says. In both cities, the phenomenon of workers becoming residents has caused property values to soar. Since 1967, single- family dwelling values have risen 500 percent. Pasadena's formerly flat housing market has become extremely competitive, with as many as five buyers bidding on a single property the first day it goes on the market, according to one bro- ker. Both communities are among the choicest in the San Gabriel Valley real estate market. Neither Pasadena nor Glendale considers itself a bedroom community any longer. Urban blight But it wasn't always so. In the late 1960s, Glendale was a quiet suburb of Los Angeles, gradually succumb- ing to urban blight. The push for development began in 1972, and the Glendale Redevelopment Agency was created as a result. "A feasibility study for the Glen- dale Galleria showed sales in the downtown area had drastically decreased, one of the major indica- tions of blight," Shick says. "Since then, 14,000 new jobs have been cre- ated. Property values have increased, and the tax dollars have come back to the community" Shick says redevelopment and freeways have, for Glendale, been almost synonymous. "Location is a central part of our marketing plan. So is our closeness to downtown Los Angeles and the accessibility the free- ways have provided." Pasadena, a proud old matriarch, was also crumbling, facing an exodus of employment opportunities from the city As in Glendale, a redevel- opment agency was formed. Its first effort was the construction of the downtown Convention Center, in which the city invested $20 million. Other major developments followed, all generating cash flow. "We have a very active develop- ment program," William Reynolds, Pasadena's director of development, says. "Between 1980 and '84, we had an average building - permit value per year of $90 million. We project $140 million for 1987." The future and freeways Both cities have forward- looking plans for the future. Glendale con- tinues to top off newly constructed P7 -88 0 0 buildings and has other new office structures going up. There is consid- erable interest in making the city an even stronger retail center. Shick says the city is looking at ways to enhance its market share in retail by devel- oping a regional center for the high - end fashion shopper. In Pasadena, Plaza las Fuentes, across from the Plaza Pasadena mall, is hoped to be the anchor to tie seg- mented Colorado Boulevard together. Groundbreaking began in summer, 1987 Phase I, a $150 million project, includes 180,000 square feet of office space, a 350 -room Doubletree Hotel, public parking, restaurants and two acres of civic park and garden area. Other office buildings are under con- struction or in the planning stages for elsewhere in town. But the best is yet to come, plan- ners hope, with completion of the long- awaited Long Beach Freeway interchange with the route formed by freeways 134 and 210. "The benefits of the Long Beach Freeway, the linkage to downtown Los Angeles, are very important and would bring Pasadena up to the access level we've been planning for," Reynolds says. "That freeway would take pressure off surface streets and help preserve community life. The Long Beach Freeway completion is critical. It hurts not to have it." Pollard agrees. "If South Pasadena realized the benefits of the Meridian Route (which passes through neigh- boring South Pasadena and a portion of southwest Pasadena), they wouldn't fight it. It could revitalize their downtown and community like the 210 freeway has done for us." Hobbs, also owner of Castle Cater- ing, concurs. "We can't expect only Pasadenans to patronize our busi- nesses. We've got to attract people from all over the region to do it," he says. Even greater freeway access will help, he believes. Planners and businesspeople alike agree: The future looks bright for both Glendale and Pasadena. But those who make these cities work also real- ize neither Glendale nor Pasadena would be experiencing the remarka- ble economic renaissance of the 1980s if it weren't for freeways enhancing each city's redevelopment process. O Reprinted from the newsletter of the Southern California Transportation Action Committee Portable Speedometer Schedule for District Office LOS ANGELES REDLANDS GLENDALE ANAHEIM HILLS WEST VALLEY SANTA ANA CHINO NORTH LONG BEACH MONROVIA GARDEN GROVE WHITTIER Testing Program Free to Club Members Days IIO as Mom thru Wed. 9-1/2-5 Thum. 9-1/ Mon. Vast Fri. 9.1/2-5 Mon. thru Fn. 9 -1/2.5 Mon. /1-5 T IME. thru Thum. 9 -1/2 -5 Fri. 9.1/ Mon. tMU Thum. 9.1/2 -5 Mon. On Thum. 9.1/2 -5 Mon. thru Wed. 9.1/2-5 Thum. 9.1/ Mon. all Fri. 9.1/2-5 Mon. thru Fn. 9-1/2-5 Mon. grant Fri. 9.1/2 -5 Mon. thry Fri. 9-1/2-5 Most thru Fri 9.1/2 -5 Mon. thru Fri* 9-1/2-5 Mon. thru Fri. 9 -1/2-5 TO"" UnIlm WIN be dosed December 25, 1987, and January 1, 1999 (Chnstmas and New Year's) NOTE: Units will close for lunch from 1 P.M. to 2 P.M and for the day at 5 P.M. Arrival just prior to 1 P.M. w 5 P.M. does not guarantee sarvlce it other vehicles are in line. Check with operator upon arrival. OPERATORS WILL OBSERVE TWO 15-MINL ITE BREAK PERIODS TEST LIMITATIONS: Testing may be postponed due to rain, smog, heavy winds or mechanical breakdown. Specific vehicles which cannot be tested Include those whose speedometers are not operated oil the drive wheels (i.e.. Oldsmobdes 188, 98 8 Starfirej, 1963 through 1970. Volkswagen beetle, buses, Vanagons, all Karmann Gh4m Converts: Deloreans; custom vehicles, PWSChes, up to 1965 8 models 924 and 964). Four wheel drive veh4 Iles —where the front wheels cannot be disengaged by using a manual shift or locking hubs. Any from wheel tlnve whose emergency brake automatically releases when put m gear Front wheel drive vehicles whose emer- gency brake operates o9 the front wheels (I e., Subaru and Saab). Handles weight lima of 3,000 pounds on drive axle Members must present weight confiscate for questionable vehicles Motorcycles with front- wtMel- driven speedometers require a second motorcycle to drive rollers. FINAL DECISION TO TEST VEHICLES WHICH MIGHT CAUSE DAMAGE OR CREATE AN UNSAFE TESTING CONDITION RESTS WITH THE TECHNICIAN. DEER ALERT/ ANIMAL WARNING DEVICE • Smaller than a cigarette lighter • Animals only hear its ultra sonic warning • Very easily installed-- mounts on vehicle in seconds REDUCES ANIMALNEHICLE COLLISIONS BY OVER 80% road No PLigo n,aengR sir � Q Ren vie a lMra D OP,rat, sic fry la RwnOeM e Activates at 30 MPH — Projects to a distance of four football fields AAA member a Lasts life of vehicle and easily maintained price only a Insurance against injury and costly vehicle repairs $17.95 Set a Full money back guarantee if you are not convinced it works e Effective on cars, trucks, motor- cycles —any motorized vehicle 8 EXCLUSIVE OFFER! 0 Warnin vice151 Non members add per unit state and local taxes, if any will be added. k O m 0 m ¢ O E TOTAL - �oat�otoseJ�, (,OlrfCtO V 17 Check charge C1 vlsacard enclosed O Mastercard My Charge Cam Account Number Is: E.P,ratsn Data Month You Name IPwa»pnnn Address Apt City $ort Zip AAA ciug am memwnn,p %A,v,naiure vFlq only won toll.....Nn MAIL TO: roam safely Deputmmt Amer,can Aulemoir,le Association 8111 GalehouM Road Falb Church Virgins 22012 3 AUTO CLUB NEWS /DEC -JAN 1987 -88 December 1987 — January 1988 Cates Addnu Get. 21.24 Main Off", 2601 S. Figueroa St. LOS ANGELES Jan. 25-29 Main Office, 2601 S. Figueroa St. COSTA MESA Dec. 741 659 W. 19du SL DEL MAR /SOLANA BEACH Dec 7.11 162 Stevens Ave. Dec. 1417 413 E. Penn Ave. Dec 1417 1233 E. Broadway Dec 21 -24 5500 E. Santa Ana Cyn. Rd. Jan. /-8 22708 Victory Blvd. Jan. 44 1901 N. Turner, Ave. Jan. 11 -15 11911 Central A". Jan. 11 -15 1565 California Ave. Jan. 18 -22 855 W. Foothill Blvd. Jan. 18-22 10402 Westminster Ave. Jan 25.29 8622 S. Painter Ave. UNIT ITEM PRICE DTY TOTA SAV A -LIFE Animal Warning Device 100101 $24 75 /set SAV A LIFE Animal Warning Device lsllvert S2350 /set SAV A LIFE Animal Warning Device lBlackl 51795 /set Shipping and handling S300 O m 0 m ¢ O E TOTAL - �oat�otoseJ�, (,OlrfCtO V 17 Check charge C1 vlsacard enclosed O Mastercard My Charge Cam Account Number Is: E.P,ratsn Data Month You Name IPwa»pnnn Address Apt City $ort Zip AAA ciug am memwnn,p %A,v,naiure vFlq only won toll.....Nn MAIL TO: roam safely Deputmmt Amer,can Aulemoir,le Association 8111 GalehouM Road Falb Church Virgins 22012 3 AUTO CLUB NEWS /DEC -JAN 1987 -88 December 1987 — January 1988 Cates Addnu Get. 21.24 Main Off", 2601 S. Figueroa St. LOS ANGELES Jan. 25-29 Main Office, 2601 S. Figueroa St. COSTA MESA Dec. 741 659 W. 19du SL DEL MAR /SOLANA BEACH Dec 7.11 162 Stevens Ave. Dec. 1417 413 E. Penn Ave. Dec 1417 1233 E. Broadway Dec 21 -24 5500 E. Santa Ana Cyn. Rd. Jan. /-8 22708 Victory Blvd. Jan. 44 1901 N. Turner, Ave. Jan. 11 -15 11911 Central A". Jan. 11 -15 1565 California Ave. Jan. 18 -22 855 W. Foothill Blvd. Jan. 18-22 10402 Westminster Ave. Jan 25.29 8622 S. Painter Ave. A Nice Place to Live, but I Freeway Phobia Prevails By LYNN SMITH, Times Staff Writer Living. in Orange County is "wonderful," Irvine businessman Jim Schroeder said Thursday, and he believes his ocean -view apartment in Laguna Beach is the "best in the whole 48 states." But on Friday nights he parks his car, and he doesn't move it again until Monday morning. "I'dread'getting on the highway," he said. Schroeder has a lot of company. He is one of many county residents suffering from a quasi, phobia associated with crowds and cars. Call it fear of freeways. According to the Sixth Orange County Annual Survey, released Thursday by UC Irvine's Public Policy Research Organi2a- tion, traffic is perceived'by residents here as far and away the.biggest problem they face. So how bad is it? In the words of who live or work in the county, it is "painfdl," "brutal," "ludicrous" and "very, very bad." It is so bad that, rather than enter a freeway at peak commuting hours: Schroeder will book a room at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport if he has a morning flight. ■ Congestion -weary county residents favor a slow - growth ballot measure 4 to 1, the 1987 Orange County Annual Survey shows. Part 1, Page 1 • Sign installer Ron Bridges will rise at 4:30 a.m., so his workday at the Irvine offices of Fluor Corp. will start at 6 a.m. and end at 2,30 p.m. •.Nurse Vicki Hauser of Orange simply will stay put— wherever she is. "Twenty years ago, everybody was saying: 'This is the greatest freeway 'Sys-, tem in the world. You could get anywhere' like this, "' said Kirk Cluff, snapping his fingers. But no more. Cluff, 34, a county native, has watched the county's autopia turn into suburban gridlock. Now, he says, "you have to do a 'lot of advanced planning to go to a nightclub or a nice restaurant. Going to the beach is a big project. You feel like a bunch of seals." The county's population has grown from Please see CROWDED, Page 3 LOS ANGELES TIMES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1937 CROWDED: A Fear of Freeways Prevails Continued from Page 1 about 1.4 'million in 1970 to 2.2 million today According to county statistics, there are 1.6 million cars for those 2.2 million people. The county has the highest ratio of cars to miles of freeway pave- ment in the state: 12,000 to 1. As a result, what was a 20 -min- ute drive in 1981 is now a 27 -min- ute trip, and a 45 -minute trip now takes at least an hour, according to county traffic engineers. Some drivers said it's worse than that. "What used to take me 10 min- utes now takes me 45," said Cathy Williams of Laguna Hills. "I started taking back streets, but then I got a ticket —$126 for sneaking through the back streets!" How fast was she going? "Well, I was in a hurry," she said with a smile. Schroeder, 49, recently clocked himself driving_ up Coast Highway for an 8 a.m. meeting at UC Irvine. The 9.8 -mile trip —a 13- minute drive in non - commuting hours — took him 58 minutes. Four days later, Schroeder, whose marketing business requires frequent travel, was taking a red - eye flight out of Los Angeles. "I figure: 10 -at night— easy," he said. But "they were working on the 405, Diamond Lane construc- tion. Traffic was backed up 15 minutes. Not only couldn't I make progress, but I couldn't get off. The exits were blocked." He missed the flight. Not everyone, of course, has traffic problems. Shirley Barnes said she deliber- �ately solved hers before they began by deciding to live where she works —in Irvine. "I planned it that TRAFFIC IN ORANGe CbUNTY "It's as bad as Chicago or New Jersey." —Dan Haymond, 46, sales engineer from Costa Mesa "It's why I don't live here." —Jay Korn, 32, lawyer from Chino Hills "I think we should get a subway." — Alecla Bolden, 18, bank sequencer from Corona "What used to take me 10 minutes now takes me 45." —Cathy Williams of Laguna Hills "I used to have five different ways to go home, but each way is congested now," —Judy Bierman, owner of Santa Ana store and resident of Irvine "It's not crowded — compared to Tokyo." —Lou Easterwood of South Carolina, In Orange County for the first time way," Barnes said. "I got the job first and then got the house." And not everyone minds crowds. Dan Haymond, 46, a sales engi- neer from Costa Mesa, likes lots of people. "In some ways, I enjoy it more now There's more to do, more to see, more shopping, more art, theaters." To survive, he said, he has set certain rules for himself. "Between 4 and 6, you shouldn't attempt to go east on the 'Riverside Freeway, north on the Newport Freeway or north on the San Diego Freeway Also, don't go up and down on Bristol Street after 4:30 p.m." The San Diego Freeway to the Corona del Mar Freeway from the Garden Grove area in the peak morning hours is the worst traffic Sue Morris knows. It takes her 35 minutes to go 10 miles from her home in Garden Grove to Newport Beach, where she works as an account representative. "It's like a parking lot,;' she said. And even in parking lots, success requires ingenuity It's called creative parking, said Kathleen Smith of Mission Viejo, who was grocery shopping in Santa Ana Thursday during her lunch hour to avoid crowds. She pointed to cars in the lot whose drivers had created their own parking spaces at the ends of the rows, causing traffic to back up. Increasing commuter traffic has forced her to "leave earlier .for work and curse a lot," she said. "My personal opinion is that we should' do all of the earthquake propagan- da we can to keep people from coming to California." "I wouldn't move to California now for anything but the weather," said Dianne Sterrit, who works with Smith in Newport Beach. "It's too crowded." Congestion is "why I don't live here," said attorney Jay Korn of Chino Hills. "It is the demise of Orange County," Schroeder predicted. t think business will come to a standstill." He said he has installed car phones in his associates' cars for those instances when they get stuck on the freeways. He bought telecopiers as an alternative way to send information to county clients. And he has considered moving his business to Phoenix. "If we don't stop it, or ultimately resolve it," he said, "we'll all be working out of our houses." Times Staff Writers Mariann Hansen and Jeffrey A. Perlman contributed to this article. • Panel ®KI% Stringent Ride- Sharing Program Smog District Strategy Affects 1.5 Million Commuters, Could Cut Rush -Hour Traffic 25% By LARRY B. STAMMER, Times Staff Writer The most comprehensive ride - sharing program ever proposed for Southern California, affecting 8,000 businesses and 1.5 million commut- ers, was unanimously approved Friday by the South Coast Air Quality Management District board. Morning rush -hour traffic could be cut by as much as 25% in the four - county South Coast Air Basin under terms of the ride - sharing regulation, which is the first in a series of new clean -air strategies to roll back air pollution in the na- tion's smoggiest urban area. Emissions of carbon monoxide and the two main ingredients of photochemical smog— nitrogen ox- ides and hydrocarbons —would see modest reductions. Still, those re- ductions were viewed Friday by state and federal regulators as essential if progress is to be made in cleaning up the air The vote, after a day of testimo- ny, was in marked contrast to the board's defeat of a less- stringent ride - sharing program two years ago and signaled what many said is the beginning of major changes in how automobile- conscious Southern Californians get to work. "I think this is going to signal the beginning in a change in life styles," AQMD board member Marvin Braude, a Los Angeles city councilman, said after the vote. "To me, we're taking a first and very important major step in more directly involving people in an individual way in solutions to clean up our air," said AQMD Board Chairman Norton Younglove, a Riverside County supervisor. Braude said he would move to ap the City of Los Angeles' ently- approved ride- sharing program "as soon as practical" because the AQMD plan is "far more stringent." Businesses with 100 or more employees will be required to offer incentives to employees to share rides or use public transit to meet the district's goal of increasing the average ridership in vehicles to 1.5 people from the current 1.13 peo- ple—an achievement that would result in 790,000 fewer daily vehi- cle trips between home and office. Failure to prepare and imple- ment ride - sharing plans will carry a fine of at least $1,000 a day The AQMD staff is reviewing state law to determine whether fines could go as high as $25,000 a day However, companies that make a "good faith" effort to comply with the regulation but fail to meet the district's ridership goals would not be penalized. Businesses would be required to review and update their plans annually The district plans to hire an additional six to nine workers to put the ride- sharing program into effect. Clean -Air Advocates Friday's vote climaxed a long drive by clean -air advocates to win approval of a ride- sharing pro- gram. As recently as this week, AQMD board member Larry L. Berg said, several companies told him that they did not believe that the dis- trict would impose such a regula- tion. "I hope the message that comes through today is these are tough decisions. They're costly and we've got to do it," Berg said. But Berg predicted problems in implementing the plan, and board member Thomas Heinsheimer said' that talk of life -style changes "re- ally depends on how seriously the new board takes the regulation." One board member who voted against ride - sharing in 1985 on Friday hailed the new regulation. "This is significant. It's going to make a difference," Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder said. Asked what caused her to change her mind, she said simply, "I've never been for government control. But there's a time to follow and a time to lead." LOS ANGELES TIMES SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1987 'Politiiesistance' Sabrina Schiller, one of the most outspoken clean -air advocates on the board, said: "The political resis- tance on our board was broken down. The fact that the public spoke out is what broke down the political resistance." The new regulation drew wide- spread support from environmen- talists, major business interests, and regional, state and federal government agencies. No one dur- ing the daylong hearing opposed the plan, although many called for changes in how it is implemented and some, such as the Hospital Council of Southern California as Well as schools and universities, asked to be exempted because they said they either could not afford to offer ride - sharing incentives to their employees or called the plan impractical. John Wise, deputy regional ad- , miriistrator of the U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency, told the board that traffic remained the largest single remaining unregu- lated pollution source in the South Coast Air Basin. "The [regulation] represents a major first step by the district to prove that overuse of motor vehi- cles in the South Coast can, and will, be reduced on a continuous basis throughout the air basin," Wise said. But Michael Scheible, assistant executive officer of the state Air Resources Board, said that even stronger ride - sharing measures would be needed to meet the district's goal of an average 1.5 riders per vehicle during the four - hour morning rush hours. In the last 17 years, he said, there has been an 80% jump in vehicle travel. Another 60010 increase is anticipated between now and the year 2010. "We can increase the capacity of our roadways some, but we cannot build our way out of the problem," Scheible said. Mark Abramowitz of the Coali- tion for Clean Air generally ap- plauded the new regulation, but said he believed that the average ridership- per - vehicle goals could be higher Increase Ripship The new regulation does not tell companies how to increase rider- ship in individual vehicles to help meet the district's goal of 740,000 fewer - daily trips between home and work. But several suggestions are of- fered, from company- subsidized parking for van pools to showers for workers who ride bikes to work. Other trip- reduction strategies call for a four -day, 40 -hour work week and "telecommuting," in which the employee works at home on a computer linked to the office. The board made one change to the original ride - sharing proposal Friday It directed the staff to implement the program over a three -year period instead of two years as proposed by the AQMD staff. Staggered Notification Now, all employers with 500 or more workers will be notified by July 1, 1988, to prepare ride -shar- ing and trip- reduction plans. Em- ployers with 200 or more workers would be asked to prepare their plans beginning Jan. 1, 1989. Busi- nesses with 100 or more workers would not be notified until Jan. 1, 1990. After they are notified, compa- nies would have 90 days to submit plans and review and update them annually The district then has 60 days to approve or reject the plan. During the last year, the district has come under sustained criticism from the EPA and environmental- ists for failing to fully implement its own plans for cleaning the air. At the same time, the South Coast Air Basin —which includes Los Angel- es, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties —is the smog- giest in the nation. It exceeds federal Clean Air Act standards for both carbon monoxide and ozone. Vehicle emissions of three prin- cipal air pollutants would decline if the ridership goals are met. Carbon monoxide emissions would drop by as much as 3.4 %, or 216 tons a day Hydrocarbon emissions would de- cline by as much as 3.3 01o, or 24 tons a day, and emissions of nitrogen oxides would decline by 4.3 %, or 34 tons a day Friday's vote was the last for the current board. The state Legisia- -- lure earlier this year reorganized - the 14- member board and reduced its membership to 11. The new board takes its seat next month. The district also has a new execu- tive officer, James Lents, whose staff advanced the latest ride -char- ing program. October /November 1987 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION ACTION COMMITTEE CHP enhances truck safety enforcement I f you've noticed more trucks crowding onto our roads and freeways lately, it's not just your imagination. For one thing, the number of private owner- operated trucks has been proliferating ever since deregulation of the trucking industry in 1980. This increase, along with growing public concern over safe transport of hazardous materials, has led the CHP to step up its truck safety enforcement efforts. One of the safety enhancement programs begun during the past two years is the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program Strike Force ( MCSAP), which conducts truck equipment inspections along freeways and state highways. "In December 1984, we received federal funding that allowed us to add 12 truck inspectors especially trained in hazardous materials transport," said Kent Milton of the CHP's Public Affairs Department in Sacramento. "Although a number of the trucks we inspect through this program do carry hazardous materials, we don't pass up other trucks." The MCSAP teams select a section of freeway or highway with a high volume of truck traffic, set up along side the road and motion trucks aside at random for inspection. "We perform critical item inspections, covering equipment functions crucial to operational safety," said Sgt. Don Hulen of the Westminster CHP The teams check trucks' brakes and brake air line systems, steering, wheels and tires, lights and suspension, and verify that those trucks carrying hazardous materials meet federal regulations. They also make sure trucks are not overloaded. "If a truck appears to be 'overweight,' or carrying more than the allowed tonnage, we will direct the driver to a nearby weigh station or use our portable scales," Hulen said. The inspection teams further check that tanks on tanker trucks are tight and look for oil leaks that might be fire hazards. Occasionally, they will open a truck to see that the cargo matches the manifest. "We don't want to stifle the movement of goods along our highways;" said Hulen, "but we _ do want to inspect vehicles that might normally go uninspected For instance, if a truck makes the trip from Santa Fe Springs to Capistrano every day, there's no inspection facility along that stretch of freeway " He added that it's easy for truck drivers to duck off the freeway and bypass permanent inspection stations. "For this reason, we are making spot checks at randomly selected locations, and we rarely work the same site on two consecutive days." How needed is the Mobile Road Enforcement program? Of the 2,424 trucks stopped by the special teams in Orange County from July- December 1986, 95 percent had some type of mechanical problem. More than one -half of the violations were for faulty brakes, and one -third of the trucks were so unsafe they were not allowed back on the road. "We have out -of- service standards," said Hulen. "if steering or brakes are badly out of adjustment, we pull the truck out of the lane. Then the driver has to call a tow truck or company mechanic to move the truck or correct the problem." "Statewide, 79 percent of all trucks stopped in 1986 had one or more critical item violations and 22 percent were pulled out of service," said Milton. He added that Orange County's statistics may have been higher because the county has targeted 'trouble spots' for extra enforcement. Two days a month in Orange County, the mobile truck inspection program is given ' (continued on page 3) (L -R) Sgt. Don Hulen and Officer Dave Schmidgall checking vehicle ID against registration. Klein says. Transportation leaders must work with the media' Herbert G. Klein is vice president and editor in chief of the Copley Newspapers,'San Diego. He served for almost five years in the White House as director of communications for former President Richard M. Nixon. Klein has extensive experience in print and broadcast journalism and media consulting. Following are excerpts from Klein's presentation at the October 20 SCTAC Forum. I'm convinced that, unlike the days when President Eisenhower could sit down for a few minutes with Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson and come up with support for a plan such as the Interstate Highway program, it's no longer possible for leaders to sit down in that kind of peaceful atmosphere and work out things. Today we exist all too often by a consensus, which just doesn't breed the kind of strong leadership which is essential in dealing with the infrastructure problems facing Southern California today In the 1980s we've seen an increase in the number of people interested in only one issue, who fail to look at the total picture. In Southern California, the issue of halting growth completely is quickly becoming a political problem. Many people are suddenly saying, "we've got our piece of this area, therefore we want to stop growth," or perhaps more mildly saying they want to control growth. This attitude favoring stopping or controlling growth will affect the way we look at the problems ahead. Programs of improving highways and our means of delivering goods or moving people are all complicated by this one - issue anti - growth feeling. We are failing to educate the public fully about the conse- quences of being shortsighted, of being tied up on too many one - issue causes, and not having the foresight to look ahead. L L Don't be afraid to be political; don't be afraid to carry your issue from the lowest levels to the highest levels. 7 What we need today is more public education about current needs. We need to unite in looking realistically at the problems which are great now and which promise to be even greater in the next decade, the decade of the 1990s. The best way that I know to get public education programs covered by the media is to meet frequently with leaders in the media industry Talk with them about the problems you face and the problems you perceive as occurring in the future, whether they be a need for more freeways or a need for improved transit. Don't go in to see these media, leaders only to ask about a story you need that day Go in to talk about what the problems and issues are, and get leaders in the media involved in being leaders in helping to solve those problems. We're coming into an era in just three or four months when we'll have the strangest set of presidential primaries the nation has ever seen. We have a variety of candidates who may come out of these primaries, all who have a different point of view Too often people interested in transportation just sit back and let others ask these candidates where they stand on their issue. I urge you, as you look into this totally political year ahead: Don't be afraid to be political; don't be afraid to carry your issue from the lowest levels to the highest levels. There's a vacuum of leadership in each community; there's a vacuum of leadership at each level of government today What we'll do to fill that vacuum will determine the future of all of our communities and the future of our country Filling that vacuum is something that demands your full attention. ❑ : Y'et1'�'r'��.�'n',:t,'-.: ::r' '.:. ., M ,,•, y .a.s��: -• , �.�s: ;�i,Y; ;: .. �: �jUM °TA prVatiiation semtnars continUe Thr "ee'..'semina'rs a SCTAG:is`sponsoring; the ,;` „. .transit,serwce;.prtgatization; have . �, seminars , through`a_grant from. l': °been held�in van6us ($cations' „' UMT & UiS.' artinent of p .,.t throughout ; 'i. Teansportation"a's an-,, tip" have= featuiedspresenfations ry ;' `educafionaheffort to +Help from:ciyid °'.dity ` and'',; ' lodatities,reduoe`transif:costs , .''county.government)officials' and: and,impove *local mobility a,'transportatiomexecutives_ Upcoming seminars will be The�fourthseminae in the 5 H6e a.in'the Santa Barbara /, series.otsi3ilseminars wi1,H0e .Vemuia area and 'in the.South'. held:in January in Ventura- -, " Bay Call SCTAC at '(213) - County 681- 8082.for jnformation. Truck safety 'Inforcement (continued froin page 1) special priority, as officers from Westminster, Santa Ana and Capistrano CHP work together on a Roving Mobile Enforcement team. Hulen said the cooperative effort provides expanded enforcement in given areas of the County on given days. When the Roving Mobile Enforcement team works the Westminster area, it's likely to focus on the Long Beach Freeway, where truck traffic to and from the Port of Long Beach averages about 28,000 trucks a day Hulen admitted that, especially when several units work one road together, the random truck inspections can slow up traffic. "You get five of our black and white trucks with five of our guys in blue uniforms and that's going to cause some rubbernecking," he said. But, he feels the safety benefits of the inspection outweigh some driver frustration. The visibility is also a plus. "if a truck driver never saw our inspection teams, and there was no possibility of his truck being inspected, he would be more inclined to let preventative maintenance slide," said Hulen. And, better preventative maintenance is exactly what the CHP would like to see drivers exercise. "Most drivers could check the things we look for themselves,' he said. "And, they're in their trucks eight hours a day They know if they have steering or brake problems." Hulen believes truck operators could use their downtime, when their trucks are being loaded or they are waiting to pick up another trailer, to check critical operating functions. The CHP also has a program through which Motor Carrier Safety personnel go to truck yards and check that driver log books _ are kept up and records of vehicle maintenance seem to correlate with actual truck conditions. However, Hulen stresses this program alone is not enough to guarantee drivers or truck owners will check functions vital to truck safety on a frequent basis. "And', that's important, because so much can go wrong on a truck in a short time." "Our Mobile Road Enforcement teams do provide an extra tier of truck safety effort," agreed Milton. "However, as important as it is to make sure the trucks rolling down our roads are safe, the fact is nine out of ten truck - involved accidents are caused by driver error " To crack down on truckers who violate rules of the road, the CHP instituted a pilot program in January that places officers in specially marked vehicles to patrol commercial traffic. The vehicles do have the CHP insignia on the car doors. However, the siren lights and shotgun are mounted low, so the cars blend better with traffic. Color of the specially marked vehicles varies with jurisdiction area. Milton said the CHP has 15 such vehicles assigned to high truck volume routes throughout the state. There are eight specially marked cars allotted for Interstate - 5 from the Delano area in Central California down to Glendale, and two have been assigned to a five - mile stretch of the Long Beach Freeway due to the high truck accident rate. The pilot program, backed by the California Trucking. Association, will run through (continued on page 4) a I.WIN -VI . — Jay,Lolng,,one of SCTAC's founding fathers; was *honored recently %by'SCTAC;,with the placement of a :., lmemorial plaque, imthe Coltorcyard " uarters of.;the.,Southern Pacific RailroadaLOng;. who die6;en July�15, 1985, was former superintendent 'of the railroad:"; °1 r, 4 Long retifed.Iri 1973..66 superintendent ; of the:Los Angeles Division of Southern, Pacific, where he had.devoted more than 40 *years to building the 'railroad into of =the nation's major freight carriers. Over th&geara;, Long. becarrie. increasingly .convinded of the integral nature of and, theinterdependence of the ports, highways, rail and air transport. Long joined other community leaders in 1973 to found SCTAC in order to help strengthen the _Southland's transportation system and to help others understand the importance of. transportation to,the.Southern California lifestyle. SCTAC'•and allof Southern California have benefited greatly from their association with Jay Long and his lifelong commitment to improving the region's transportation. Truck safety enforcement (continued from page 3) December, after which accident statistics for.this year and preceding periods will be compared and assessed. Lt. Don Bossingham, who supervises the specially marked vehicle patrol along 1 -5 from Glendale to Fort Tejon said, "Overall, the program is working better than we expected." For example, accident figures for the 1 -5 from Kern County to the Ventura Freeway for the first quarter of 1987 showed a reduction in truck collisions of 24 percent. The number of truck - driver -at -fault accidents had also been reduced by 14 percent. Statewide, truck -at -fault accidents went down 7 percent. "Rarely do you see accident figures reduced by that much," Bossingham said. "When you consider truck volume has been increasing by 5 -10 percent each year, we used to just hope to hold even." Bossingham also feels the program has caused truckers to begin watching their speed a little more. "Speed is the number -one cause of truck - involved accidents," he said. "So, we don't mind if truckers warn each other of our presence with their CBs, as long as they do slow down." He said although most public reaction to the program has been positive, some motorists have complained when officers in specially marked vehicles cite drivers in passenger cars. "People say, 'You're supposed to concentrate on trucks.' And, we do. But, our prime concern is safety When a guy in a car whizzes past us going 100 miles an hour, we can't let him go " Consequently, in some areas of the state, officers in specially marked vehicles have been citing 50 percent trucks and 50 percent passenger vehicles. Bossingham SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 233 SOUTH EUCLID AVENUE, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91101 witfi:tfie; mediae::::.. page 2 Lila Cox ? Jerry Toll, Vice Chzamao , Damd Grayson Ser. ?etary- .Treasurer A K.,M Gilbert, Etlrtor ,` Amclas may be.repr,, cc only if aedCed 'Reprinted with ,ermi sa,n from Update, the newsletter of the Sonthem California Transportation Action Committee FIRST CLASS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PASADENA, CA PERMIT NO 742 Joseph Y. Yang 142 Director of Public Ldorks 11330 Bullis Rd. Lynwood, CA 90262 said, "We are doing a little better in the Castaic area, citing about 85 percent trucks." He adds that the majority of passenger vehicles cited have been for flagrant violations, such as drunk or reckless driving, or speeds over 80 miles an hour Bossingham said the program could be of even greater benefit if additional personnel were devoted to it— personnel not diverted from other CHP enforcement efforts. Milton believes tighter federal laws on commercial licensing that went into effect in July should also make truckers more conscious of their driving. "Among other things, the new laws require more stringent licensing procedures and eliminate the use of multiple licenses. That means a driver with a violation in one state can't hide that violation by using a license he holds In another state." A shared system of information between the DMV and highway patrol officers across state lines will make it easier to keep traffic violators off the roads. ❑ CHP�,;enhances truck -'� ,' ... enforcement: '.page Transportation.` witfi:tfie; mediae::::.. page 2 Lila Cox ? Jerry Toll, Vice Chzamao , Damd Grayson Ser. ?etary- .Treasurer A K.,M Gilbert, Etlrtor ,` Amclas may be.repr,, cc only if aedCed 'Reprinted with ,ermi sa,n from Update, the newsletter of the Sonthem California Transportation Action Committee FIRST CLASS U.S. POSTAGE PAID PASADENA, CA PERMIT NO 742 Joseph Y. Yang 142 Director of Public Ldorks 11330 Bullis Rd. Lynwood, CA 90262 said, "We are doing a little better in the Castaic area, citing about 85 percent trucks." He adds that the majority of passenger vehicles cited have been for flagrant violations, such as drunk or reckless driving, or speeds over 80 miles an hour Bossingham said the program could be of even greater benefit if additional personnel were devoted to it— personnel not diverted from other CHP enforcement efforts. Milton believes tighter federal laws on commercial licensing that went into effect in July should also make truckers more conscious of their driving. "Among other things, the new laws require more stringent licensing procedures and eliminate the use of multiple licenses. That means a driver with a violation in one state can't hide that violation by using a license he holds In another state." A shared system of information between the DMV and highway patrol officers across state lines will make it easier to keep traffic violators off the roads. ❑