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HomeMy Public PortalAbout08-27-87 TRAFFIC & PARKING COMMISSION1 0 AGENDA ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AT THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE LYNWOOD TRAFFIC AND PARKING COMMISSION TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 27, 1987 AT 6:30 P.M. OPENING CEREMONIES 1. CALL FOR ORDER - CHAIRMAN WRIGHT 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF POSTING 4. ROLL CALL OF COMMISSIONERS ROBERT ARCHAMBAULT WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM VICTORIA SIMPSON JOE DARYL BATTLE RONALD WRIGHT 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Y I RECE9v I CITY OF LYNl4'OOD CITY CLERICS OFFICE AUG 24 1987 AM P77 71819110 PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS SCHEDULED MATTERS 6. A PRESENTATION OF FREEWAY DEVELOPMENT TO THE YEAR 2000 PROPOSAL FOR FUTURE MOBILITY. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS COMMISSION ORAL COMMENTS ADJOURNMENT T02.750 L THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LYNWOOD July 23, 1987 A regular meeting of the Traffic and Parking Commission of the City of Lynwood was held on the above date in the Council Chambers of Lynwood City Hall, 11330 Bul.lis Road, Lynwood, California at 6:30 p.m. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Chairman Wright. Commissioners Archambault, Cunningham, Battle, Simpson and Chairman Wright answered roll call. Present were James Devore, Associate Civil Engineer, Sergeant Eshelman, Lynwood Sheriff's Department, Deputy Rosenbauer, Lynwood Sheriff's Department and Jahanshah Oskoui, Engineering Division. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF POSTING James Devore stated that the Agenda of July 23, 1987 was duly posted 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Cunningham motioned to accept the minutes of July 23, 1987 and Commissioner Archambault seconded the motion. The motioned was passed unanimously. PUBLIC ORAL COMMUNICATIONS There were none. SCHEDULED MATTERS 6. REVIEW OF CITY OF LYNWOOD OFFSTREET TOWING ORDINANCE. The Commission decided to discuss this item last on the agenda. 1 0 0 7. REQUEST FOR NO PARKING, CEDAR STREET - BULLIS ROAD TO LONG BEACH BOULEVARD. At the last meeting of July 23, 1987, a request was made to restrict parking of a portion of Cedar Avenue. At the request of the Traffic and Parking Commission, staff investigated that portion of Cedar Avenue from Bullis Road to Long Beach Boulevard and found that the street is 30 feet wide and in a residential area. The speed limit is 25 mph. Two accidents within three years have been reported that could have been attributed to the width of the street. Based on the number of accidents and the width of the street, it is staff's opinion that it would not be warranted to eliminate 64 parking spaces as requested. A petition has not been received from local. residents. Chairman Wright stated that since a petition has not been received since the original request was made no further action should be taken. James Devore added that to eliminate parking spaces on Cedar Avenue, which is near the High School, would only move the school parking to a new location. Commissioner Battle added that one of the two accidents mentioned earlier was due to a drunken driver. Commissioner Cunningham motioned to accept staff's recommendation with no further action on the position that the Commission have not received a petition at thi.s time requesting no parking and to notify Ms. Navratil. Commissioner Battle seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS James Devore discussed the following Informational Items: 1. Atlantic Avenue Reconstruction Project - This project is being advertised. The project will be designed by a consultant. Atlantic Avenue will be reconstructed from Century Boulevard to Beechwood Avenue and will include grinding of the existing pavement, resurfacing of the street, construction of a landscaped median, and the repairs of sidewalks and drive approaches. This project will be ready for bid in several months. 2. Bus Pad Construction Project - He informed the Commission that this project, has been advertised for the construction of four bus pads possibly five at $50,000 of Propositi.on A money and the bid opening is scheduled for Monday, August 17, 1987. The locations will be at Tweedy Boulevard and Long Beach Boulevard, Atlantic Avenue both sides of Agnes and Atlantic Avenue and Carlin Avenue. These pads will be constructed because of badly deteriorated asphalt. n 3. The Reconstruction of Olanda Avenue - This project has been completed, the problems between the contractor and consultant have been resolved. This was an HCDA funded Project. 4. Reconstruction of Various Streets - He informed the Commission that the Engineering staff is in the stage of seeking consultant engineering firms to prepare plans and specifications for the reconstruction of Norton Avenue from Century Boulevard to Imperial Highway, San Miguel Avenue from Norton Avenue to Abbott Road and Alpine Avenue from Euclid Avenue to Cedar Avenue. He further discussed the involvement of this project. Commissioner Cunningham asked if the Bus Shelter Project is still scheduled. James Devore replied that this project is on hold, however, it is scheduled for this fiscal year. Commissioner Cunningham stated that with respects to installing landscaped medians as a part of Atlantic Avenue reconstruction project, in the past the medians have been removed to create a safer condition for high speed emergency vehicles. James Devore stated that the City Council wish to landscape Atlantic Avenue. Discussion followed. Chairman Wright asked when will the Atlantic Avenue Project begin. James Devore replied that this project will begin in approximately three months The specifications will have to be completed, it will go before the City Council for approval and have to be advertised before construction can begin. Chairman Wright asked what will be the cost of the Atlantic Avenue Project. James Devore stated that a cost estimate has not been prepared yet. Discussion followed. James Devore stated that, not listed under Informational Items, staff has put together an RFP to seek consultants for a preliminary design of the Long Beach Boulevard Project. The RFPs will be forwarded to consultants. Proposals are expected to return within three weeks, so when it will go before Council the final design of the project is expected to be completed by December, 1987. Discussion followed. Commissioner Cunningham asked what the possible of the overpass construction of Fernwood Avenue completion will.coincide with the completion of Boulevard Project. date of completion would be and if the Long Beach 3 0 • James Devore replied that the overpass construction should be completed before the completion of the Long Beach Boulevard Project and that it is pending on Caltrans' construction schedule. Chairman Wright asked about the possible beginning date of the Atlantic Avenue Bridge construction. James Devore replied that he has not seen Caltran's plans. Commissioner Cunningham asked for the dump clean -up operation status and if it is almost complete. James Devore replied that he is not knowledgeable of the completion date. Commissioner Cunningham expressed concern of the dump area outside of Lynwood, North of Imperial Highway into South Gate. He wanted to know if that area will be cleaned up and when it will be completed. James Devore discussed the gasoline leakage problem due to a gas tank rupture at the Shell Station, northwest corner of Long Beach and Imperial Highway. There was a leakage of 3,000 to 25,000 gallons of gasoline. All utility companies were notified. The City's concern was the water supply on Chester Avenue and the well has been tested for contamination, and test have been negative. James Devore discussed the number of complaints received by the Engineering Division during the month of June, 1987. Department of Public Works received a number of complaints from residents regarding dripping street trees due to aphids infestation. The City had started an operation to spray trees. So far three hundred trees have been sprayed and it will take approximately another month to complete the spraying operation. Commissioner Cunningham stated that he was very pleased with the tree trimming operation and that the job was done very consistant, neat and professional and inquired about the contractor who did the project. James Devore replied that the tree trimming Contractor was California Arborist of Compton and that they completed the project at a reasonable cost and very professional. Commissioner Simpson inquired about the area in schedule for the next tree trimming operation. James Devore replied that Area 3, South of Fernwood Avenue is scheduled for the next fiscal year 1987 -88 for trimming. The City has ample funds available for the tree trimming project. 4 • James Ilevore requested that the Commission read and study the attached letter from LACTC addressing the Reorganization Bills. He briefly discussed the proposal of their recommendation. The Commission discussed Item 6, Request of City of Lynwood Offstreet Towing Ordinance - Chairman Wright asked Commissioner Battle if he had any specifics he wanted to discussed. Commission Battle briefly explained the purpose of his request. He stated that he had studied the received ordinances to find information that might be added into the City of Lynwood's ordinance regarding parking spaces, mainly in commercial zones. He expressed concern about towing companies having a City license for their operation in the City. (Section 22 -658 Vehicle Code). He expressed that he would like to have towing companies operate and store towed vehicles in Lynwood rather than have a company tow and store vehicles outside of Lynwood. The Company should have a history check conducted, and be licensed by the law authority. He requested a check with the Sheriff's Department to find out what type of reporting and procedure for cars picked up by tow companies. Commissioner Battle handed James Devore his notes for Engineering review. James Devore stated that the notes will be written up and brought back to the Commission for support or recommendation. James Devore stated that the City will hire an outside consultant to revise and update the municipal codes. The addressed items can be incorporated into the revisions. At the next meeting, staff can possibly give a time schedule for the revisions. Discussion followed. Commissioner Cunningham expressed concern about two abandoned cars parked on north side of Carlin Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. Commissioner Simpson asked if a car gets towed from private property because of a parking violation, and during the towing the car gets vandalized is the owner of the towed car under any kind of protection. Commission Battle replied that there is no provision addressing consumer protection. 5 0 COMMISSION ORALS Commissioner Archambaul.t stated that the damaged sidewalk at the corner of Sampson and Pendelton was repaired. Commissioner Cunningham stated that in the 11000 block of the East side of Atlantic Avenue on the South side of the street, a new trash container has been graffitied. Commissioner Battle expressed concern about abandoned cars parked on private property at the northwest corner of Carlin Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. He stated that these vehicles should be noted as a nuisance. Commissioner Battle stated that the newly constructed pavement by Caltrans is approximately 6 inches lower where it joins with existing pavement at Bullis Road & Fernwood Avenue. James Devore informed the Commission that usually the constructed pavement will be filled to grade at a later time and Caltrans can be contacted to correct the problem. Commissioner Cunningham expressed that water can possibly be trapped on Gertrude Drive because of the construction of the street. James Devore stated that ultimately a box will be constructed under the street to drain the water on Gertrude Drive. Chairman Wright asked if staff has received any word from Edison regarding street lights out. He has observed a couple of lights out on Atlantic Avenue, Carlin Avenue, Century Boulevard and Imperial Highway. James Devore replied that Engineering has not received a response from Edison, however, Edison has a new district manager and he was informed of the lighting problems. Commissioner Battle asked if there had been any further involvement on the traffic safety report. James Devore stated that Engineering contacted the State to obtain additional information on grant procedures. The State is putting money into their studies for pedestrian safety to find the cause of rising accident problems. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Commissioner Battle to adjourn to the 4th Thursday, August 27, 1987, at 6:30 p.m., of the Traffic and Parking Commission in the City Council Chambers. It was seconded by Commissioner Simpson. The meeting adjourned at (8 45 p.m.). T02 740 6 0- 0 DATE: AUGUST 27, 1987 TO: 'THE HONORABLE CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING COMMISSION FROM: JOSEPH Y. WANG, P.E., DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/ CITY ENGINEER SUBJECT: PRESENTATION BY THE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Staff has arranged for a presentation by the Automobile Club of Southern California entitled, " Freeway Development To The Year 2000, A Proposal For Future Mobility. This presentation should be both informative and enlighting. The presentation will be held after the August 27, 1987, Traffic and Parking meeting. All interested persons have been invited. ITEM 6 T02.780 INFORMATIONAL ITEMS 1. Bus Pad Construction Project: The bid opening for the subject project was held on August 17, 1987. After analyzing the seven received bids, the apparent low bidder is Sully Miller Contracting Company with a bid amount of $49,405. The initial budget for this project is $50,000. 2. Southern California Gas Company Proposed 16 Inch Main Line: Southern California Gas Company will install 16,000 feet high pressure, 16 inch main line through the City of Lynwood. The proposed route in the City of Lynwood is illustrated on the attached map (attachment). The duration of the project in the City of Lynwood will approximately be 1 month and the project will start in the early part of September. 3. Wilco Dump Cleaning Operation: The cleaning phase of the Wilco Dump that started in April is now completed. All of the contaminated material has been removed. The backfilling phase of the operation started on August 19, and will continue until the end of October. 4. Complaint Report for July, 1987: A total of 192 complaints were received during July of 1987. This is about 20% higher than the average of 150 complaints of this number a total of 136 cases were resolved. Please refer to the summary report. (see attachments). CO2.76n M ovl+ Y EAR Su Ly 087 s TWO OF CoMplaiKh • NOMLF=r of CON dr71Vrt"Z - TRASk pck_u C,e l"x- (o� - wE�S S6EE l' SWEE�rrcg Gam.. Ally - Tptec TRIM -- -- _TRFF 1 4 Mo vd - .�asL wA - Cup-L Gu}}j�72 NON i 03 Wake -- -- -- Tmf �r- s ,1„,S - Mee- Dtfo. -+w am E -- - _ -_— - T NGOMim q° c� R ESOIVECI IAI qo urJREsolvm t eo to �� o / C , . 5 1a15 11•4 Z 52 y$ y 2, o o 20 /a 4 33 G L Al /00 23 /�. o D 87 1 3 3 75 1 �5 -3 /D0 2 2 / 5 611 36 7.2 85 /S / 122 n,5 ioo ° o /DO 7/ 5l0 29 __ MJ>36 9NOt �'•' - C1 3N.� _ L= _= ;jr to, -1 Kl`r' ITT f E al: All CD IF 1 i3 y I L '/ ! 1, - ,.,,,�m �_`l�s -�= ��7 }s-� i'--r } �• JLJI� � � � it `'� ���J'�ll, J'LD 9 � � -r 1p To w tu d,,IL,)t4L1r4 01 I , I I F ;II f Highway By RAYMOND W. NOVACO The apparent upsurge in highway vio- leince has grabbed nearly everyone's atten- tion. Explaining why it is happening is difficult because the events are dissimilar and have many causes. Some themes, such as "traffic stress " and "copycat" behavior, have been offered as explanations, but these are overplayed. Adding to the difficulty is the lack of research to guide the analysis. No studies have actually been done on road warrior behavior —it is relatively infrequent and not readily observable; one would not want to induce it experimentally; and law -en- forcement data on assaults does not identi- fy those that are related to driving. We are then left to draw inferences from research on anger, aggression and stress. Some years ago, my colleague Dr Daniel Stokols and I did several studies that today remain the only naturalistic field research on the effects of automobile commuting. As psychologists; we were concerned with the, effects on health and behavior of long -term exposure to traffic congestion; identifying the individuals most at risk for chronic ill effects, and how conditions of the home and job environment influence the experience of commuting. It is indeed true that continued exposure to traffic congestion elevates resting blood pressure, increases negative mood states, lowers tolerance for frustration and can lead to even more impatient driving habits. However, physiological arousal, irritability and impatience are qualitatively different from assaultive behavior. Yes, these inter- nal states can activate aggression, but aggression is a significantly different mat- ter, requiring an override of inhibitions: about harm - doing. The road assaults are not being done by commuters, which, makes a stress expla- nation less; plausible. Particular occasions of roadway frustration may be a proximate cause or a personal justification for some assaults, but outside 6Vdaily commuting, such events are better seen as matters of personal perception and behavioral pro- clivities. Many of the incidents appear to be either impulsive or premeditated actions of marginal personalities whose inhibitions toward aggression were out on break. We know that some things can short - circuit inhibitions toward aggression. The Has NumePbus Triggers car can be a private bubble of sensitized space that allows the Mr. Hyde in us to emerge when we are crossed. Since the automobile affords anonymity and oppor- tunity for escape, inhibitions of aggression can lessen. Another possibility is that exposure to films that suggest or legitimize violent actions have reduced inhibitions and pro- grammed the mind with mental images. The modeling effects of media portrayals of violence are not irrelevant: But I am not saying that someone tails and blasts at other motorists simply or mostly because of watching too many movies with hyped -up chase scenes or avenging -angel story lines. Of course, it's more complicated; it involves our social fabric, the breakdown of commu- nity values, the desensitization to violence, and the relative improbability of punish- ment for violent behavior. The availability of guns— though carrying a loaded gun in a car.is illegal —will make matters worse if drivers begin to pack their pistols. Of course, some sensation - seeking per- sons may be inspired to follow the example of other road warriors. But these aren't all "copycat" occurrences, as when someone duplicates a cinematic action. Many road assaults, like other forms of aggressive acts, involve an escalating sequence of antagonism in which each party further ensnares itself in a destructive cycle. Provocation is in the eye of the perceiv- er. Anger results from what we pay attention to and what we choose to make of it. Often it is a product of giving exaggerat- ed importance to events and,the loss of perspective, humor and civility While we can easily learn to control our own anger, the anger of others is not easily controlled. We can, however, keep from stoking their fire by steering away from conflict and antagonism. Getting drawn into battle with anyone competing for our road space is an ego- oriented script with a bad , ending. Instead, awareness of traffic conditions, alertness to potential danger and coolness of thought will add mileage to our lifetimes. Raymond' W Novaco is an, associate professor in the program in social ecology at UC Irvine. His research concerns problems of anger, aggression and stress. II, i Z 1a iYa�• � 5 5� i � .e� ice/ me bl 'i "We got him for shooting a .45 in a .22- caliber zone!" LOS ANGELES TIMES SUNDAY, AUGUST Z, 1987 Highway VioPence Has Nttmel►ous Triggers By RAYMOND W. NOVACO The apparent upsurge in highway vio- lence has grabbed nearly everyone's atten- 'tioii. Explaining why it is happening is difficult because the events are dissimilar and have many causes. Some themes, such as "traffic stress" and "copycat" behavior, have been offered as explanations, but these are overplayed. Adding to the difficulty is the lack of research to guide the analysis. No studies have actually been done on road warrior behavior —it is relatively infrequent and not readily observable; one would not want to induce it experimentally; and law -en- forcement data on assaults does not identi- fy those that are related to driving. We are then left to draw inferences from research on anger, aggression and stress. Some years ago, my colleague Dr. Daniel Stokols and I did several studies that today remain'the only naturalistic field research on the effects of automobile commuting. As psychologists, we.were concerned with the effects on health and behavior of long -term . exposure'to traffic congestion; identifying the individuals most at risk for ill effects, and how conditions of the home and job environment influence the experience of commuting. It is indeed true that continued exposure to traffic congestion elevates resting blood pressure, increases negative mood states, lowers tolerance 'for frustration and can lead to even more impatient driving habits. However, physiological arousal, irritability and impatience are qualitatively different from assaultive behavior. Yes, these inter- nal states can activate aggression, but aggression is a significantly different mat- ter, requiring an override of inhibitions about harm- doing. The road assaults are not being done by commuters, which, makes a' stress expla- nation,less plausible. Particular occasions of roadway frustration may be a proximate cause or. aIpersonal justification for some assaults, but outside of ^daily commuting, sueh.events are better seen as matters of personal perception and behavioral pro- clivities. Many of.the incidents appear to be either impulsive or premeditated actions of marginal personalities whose inhibitions toward aggression were out on break. We know that some things can short - circuit inhibitions toward aggression. The car can be a private bubble of sensitized space that allows the Mr. Hyde in us to emerge when we are crossed Since the automobile affords anonymity and oppor- tunity for escape, inhibitions of aggression can lessen. Another possibility is that exposure to films that suggest or legitimize violent actions have reduced inhibitions and pro- grammed the mind with mental images. The modeling effects of media portrayals of violence are not irrelevant. But I am not saying that someone tails and blasts at other motorists simply or mostly because of watching too many movies with hyped -up chase scenes or avenging -angel story lines. Of course, it's more complicated; it involves our social fabric, the breakdown of commu- nity values, the desensitization to violence, and the relative improbability of punish- ment for violent behavior. The availability of guns— though carrying a loaded gun in a car is illegal —will make matters worse if drivers begin to pack their pistols. Of course, some sensation - seeking per- sons may, be inspired to follow the example of other road:warriors. But these aren't all "copycat" occurrences, as when someone duplicates a cinematic action. Many road assaults, like other forms of aggressive acts, involve an escalating' sequence of antagonism in which each party further ensnares itself in a destructive cycle. Provocation is in the eye of the perceiv- er. Anger results from what we pay attention to and what we choose to make of it. Often it is a product of giving exaggerat- ed importance to events and the loss of perspective, humor and civility While we can easily learn to control our own anger, the anger of others is not easily controlled. We can, however, keep from stoking their fire by steering away from conflict and antagonism. Getting drawn into battle with anyone competing for our road space is an ego- oriented script with a bad ending. Instead, awareness of traffic conditions, alertness to potential danger and . coolness of thought will add mileage to our lifetimes. Raymond W. Notmeo is an associate professor in the program in social ecology at UC Irmne. His research concerns problems of anger, aggression and stress. LOS ANGELES TIMES SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1987 "We got him for shooting a 45 in a.22-caliber zone!" .1 0 Bus Shelters: Why Aren't They Where They're Needed the Most? By RICH CONNELL and TRACY WOOD, Times Staff Writers , It seemed there was an untapped of new investors who had been gold mine in Las Angeles' side- brought into the venture. walks when the lobbyists and pro- While the bailout agreement of maters descended on City Hall last March extended the contract several years ago pitching a new up to 20 years and eased the terms public service that would pay —not for Shelter Media, it made no cost —the city millions. demands on the major unfulfilled About 2,500 stylish shelters goal of the fast contract- that the would be built free of charge at bus shelters would be placed uniformly stops throughout the city, giving throughout the city. Consequently, teas of thousands of RTD riders although the company was kept protection from the sun, rain and afloat, the public service it was wind To finance the project and performing remained lopsided. turn a handsome profit, the con- There continued to be a concentra- trsctor would sell advertising on lion of shelters in Westwood, Can- colorful, back-lighted panels on the tury City, West Los Angeles and .earth -tone, metal and tinted glass upscale sections of the San Fer- slructuren. And the city would get nando Valley —at the expense of e�cut of the revenues —about $14 the many bus riders in South -Cen- million N 10 years. tral and the Eastaide where shelter '-City officials were interested, but construction was spotty at best. they had two major worries: Would A Times analysis showed that an the developer ignore low- income affluent 25- square -mile area of the neighborhoods in favor of upscale West San Fernando Valley, where areas popular with busridershipisrel- Advertisers? Would atively low, has the city's interests Shelter Media more than twice beprotected should the number of the contractor go j 4 SSoLiateS haS shelters found in a bust? Satisfied that similar size area in the city, not the neglected some of south - Central, contractor, would x where low- income the city determine location poorest residents are heav- of the shelters and and most ily dependent on that the city could bus service. take over the shel- transit-needy black The contrast is ters if the company obvious in the and Latino went under, the streets, as it was to Us Angeles city neighborhoods—at Ruby Jones as she oroo ou Cncil gave the waited for a bus out go -ahead N 1981 least in p in the open on a for Shelter Media hot, smoggy after - Associates to begin Company officials noon with her construction. acknowl lri month -old baby But nOWled g six years lat- > and her 4- year-old er. despite those pursuit of 'contractual son at Century and' assur- Avalon boulevards ences, the pohti- advertising dollars. in South - Central. cptly well -con- _ The intersection is nested builder bas a busy inner -city neglected same of the city's poorest transit,cpnnectlon point with no- -.and most - transit -needy blame and . bus stop shelters. Jones has no car Latino neighborhoods —at least in and must use the bus for shopping, Wt. company officials acknowl- doctor's appointments and to visit edged, in pursuit of advertising relatives. She beamed at the dollars. The firm built only about Ahought of a shelter, but then 700 shelters —fewer than a third of added, "I haven't seen many. those promised. And, rather than Maybe it's the area." reap a huge windfall, or attempt to RTD records show the number of enforce the original terms of the people who board buses each day at agreement, the city took the un- Avalon and Century Ls eight times usual step four months ago of higher than daily boardmgs at rewriting the contract to rescue the Balboa Boulevard and Saticoy fi from bankruptcy. Street in the heart of the San An investigation by The Times Fernando Valley But there are also found that In the rescue effort, three bus shelters at Balboa and the City negotiators by- passed nor- Saticoy. mat contract bidding procedures, One two -mile stretch of Ventura ignored failure- to- perdorin penal- Boulevard in Woodland Hills has ties that the city could have levied eight bus shelters for about 1,170 and failed to notify the City Council boarders a day, RTD records show. An equal length of Avalon Boule- vard in South - Central Los Angeles has more than 2AW daily boarders, but no shelters. Large area of heavily Latino III Sereno and Highland Park on the Ei stside have virtually no shelters. "I'm wondering if people (hue] even know if they exist," said Father Bill McLean, a community activist assigned to El Sereno's Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Some City Council members whose approval of the renewed agreement with Shelter Media al- lowed the imbalance to persist $alit they simply were not aware of the problem. In a recent interview, Council- man Zev Yaroslaysky, whose up- scale Westside and,Valley district has reaped a large number of the shelters, said „'", the intent was not just that the affluent neighbor- hoods would have them, but all neighborhoods would have them in equal amounts.” Another council member, Robert Farrell, said that he did not real= the contract was being renegotiat- ed when it came up for a vote in DONCLEMENT I tae Mq*WTimw March. Had he known, he said, he would have questioned the lack of shelters in some areas of his South - Central district. Farrell said he agreed to allow more shelters in lucrative areas in the first place only on the promise that additional shelters would be built later in lower- income, traastt -needy areas. ':We bought into an argument in good faith," he said, adding that it now appears "we are stepping back from apublic commitment." Added Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, "I never would have Corr Angeles Q1111e5 Sunday, July 26, 1987 Riding the Buses in 2 Neighborhoods Sepulveda and Ventura boulevards in Sherman Oaks, an area that advertisers have told shelter builders is desirable. The intersection has bus shelters on three corners. Avalon Boulevard and 111 th Street. Despite heavy bus ridership, there are no shelters. People find seats on nearby walls, as did this woman. LARRY DAVIS Los Angeles Times G raft 11 /bunday,ituy zo, ivti/ w :SHELF Contlmmd from Page I ;gone ahead and approved this if I :had known there was going to be a Void in any area of the city." Public Works Department offi- :cials who administered the con- tract, as well m officials on city :Chief Administrative Officer Keith :Cpmrie's staff who negotiated the ;bailout agreement, admitted they :had not kept track of where shel. ters have been built. Records show :the Public Works Department :gradually surrendered• the time - •cpnsuming location chore to Shel- -teg Media. The head of the Public Works -Board, Maureen Kindel, acknowl- edged that her department com- :promised to allow advertising de- -mand to become a criteria in :selecting shelter locations. But she - Insisted that all along it was "abso- lutely" the responsibility of City %Council members'to oversee the distribution of shelters. Commercial Consideration With the company's concerns increasingly taking priority, most placement decisions became a commercial consideration. Christo- pher J. Culver, Shelter Media's senior vice president of marketing, said, "There's a hundred times more advertising dollars in Centu- ry City" than South Los Angeles. Sandra Williams, a manager of the firm who with her husband has overseen selection of shelter loca- tions, cited the company's financial struggle and said, "We were so _determined to get some revenue's into this and we were told by the salesmen to get everything in the saleable areas that you can possibly do. If we had any choice we would put every single shelter . in [ West Los Angeles]." She added, "The Valley is very :popular. We've got a lot of - malls out here. They [advertisers] love to be around malls." Bruce Williams, co- president of Burbank -based Shelter Media, said some black area are served and he cited the high- traffic areas near USC and the Coliseum. As for the 'Eastside, city memos and Shelter Media officials said few shelters are there because the company has been unable to find Hispanic ad- vertisers. Vandalism Cited �- :, Williams said the firm's top pri- orltyfor any new shelters probably wilI be at bus stops along the beaches One of the problems in South - Centel, he said, is vandal- _ ism. He complained that a shelter plicei near of r�anTiigli School— in response to community pres- sure —was like "giving one to a war zone." Gilbert Lindsay, the powerful black councilman whose Public Works Committee recommended the Shelter Media bailout, said he can see not going to put it out there in the boondocks." Shelter Media officials defend placement of the shelters, saying that the high concentration of them in the downtown, Wilshire and West Los Angeles, office districts, although admittedly good for ad- vertising, are also along high -rid- ership bus lines. 1..,..11.. 1;.....,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,­ It City Rescues MAdia Concern gained, Shelter Media said it had difficulty breaking into the adver tising market. By late 1984, three years after obtaining its first Los Angeles contract, the company was 1I 1-a 's such financial trouble that it had ut down construction after com- eting about 700 shelters and laid f most of its work force. For the ext two years, even though ad- ertising picked up, the company erely operated its existing shel- rs. According to a number of inves- rs and city officials, Shelter Me- fundamental weakness was a huge capital indebtedness, at rates of 21% interest, which it could neither refinance nor pay off, even when bus shelter advertising be- gan to sell well. Bruce Williams said the city could have seen the seeds of the debt problem from the start, but he said it was not a major consider- ation. "Come on, guys," he protest- ed when questioned about the company's finances. "The point at that particular time was that the program was being backed by ,people with reputations, not only In the community, but In City Hall." Management Questions Some investors said they be- lieved Shelter Media's financial problems also related to poor man- agement, particularly the Wil- liams' lack of experience in, the advertising business. Bruce Wil- liams acknowledged a limited ad- vertising background, but denied the firm was badly managed. In its financial bind, Shelter Media in June, 1986, began asking the city to rewrite and extend the contract to attract new investors. City administrative officials, per- suaded that a new deal for the company was in the city's best interests, presented the new con- tract proposal in a favorable light to the City Council. For example, when the contract renewal came before the council, staff analysts did not remind council members that the company was two years behind schedule in completing its last construction phase. The coun- ml was Bkewlse unaware that hun- jdreds of thousands of dollars in penalties had been waived because, according to other city documents, the assessments would have been "ruinous" to the company. Payments Shrink Under the new contract —and ] also not explained to council mem- bers— minimum guaranteed pay - I ments that the city was to receive if advertising income declined'were less than under the old contract. To justify contract changes and up to 15 years added to its terms, staff reports projected increased revenue for the city, going up to 18% of Sheller Media's advertising income, for a total of about $17 miilion.by 2002. Later, city staff analvaU acknowledged that the the first 10 years of the new contract, the projected revenue grans were overstated by as much as 18 %. In the end, the city agreed to even less. As requested by company co- president Williams and influential City Hall lobbyist H. Randall Stoke, the City Council voted to reduce the share of its revenue from the company to 13 %. The city also earned less than first projected under the old con- tract. Using a different formula, the city received $1.4 million over six originally estimated that it would collect it all 2SW shelters had been built over the 10 -year life of the contract. Among the partners of the origi- nal faltering firm, and who remain minority partners today, were for- mer Green Bay Packers football star Willie Davis, who is also one of the city's best-known black entre. preneurs and contributed more than $6,000 to Mayor Tom Bradley in the past three years; Nikolas Patmourm, an RTD board member and Bradley appointee to the city Board of Zoning Appeals who has contributed $8,300 to Bradley and City Council members in the past two years; Jack McGrath, a former aide and campaign manager to Yaroslaysky and one -time City Hall lobbyist; and developers Peter Sidlow and Dennis Devine (son of the late actor Andy Devine) who have contributed more than $8,000 to Bradley and council members in the past two years. Key council members and top officials deny that political influ- ence was responsible for the bail- out. "I tell you right now, I'd never be a part of hanky- panky," said Lind- say, chairman of the committee that recommended the bailout agreement. "The intent was to keep them from going belly up and keep building bus shelters," said Currie, whose staff negotiated the bailout. "These were the terms (Shelter Media) had to have to survive. We represented what we thought was the maximum for the city and still keep them in business." Davlslnfluenre However, noting that Davis' business complex is one of the biggest employers in South -Cen- tral Los Angeles. Flores said that Hall decisions to help Shelter Me- dia. "[He is] close to [some] council members" who would be "a little less likely to want to take it away from him.. " Flores, who re- ceived $3,000 in campaign contri- butions from partners in Shelter Media, primarily Davis, said she too "want[s) to help Willie Davis if I can." The bailout agreement of last March, which city officials ac- knowledge was drafted by compa- ny officials, transferred the mo- nopoly to build and manage bus shelters from Shelter Media Limit- ed Partnership, a tax shelter -type investment group, to a new firm with mostly new investors, Shelter Media Communications Inc. Although the old contract specif- ically required the City Council to approve any ownership change exceeding 5% of the company's holdings, Los Angeles officials said they bypassed normal procedures and never investigated the owner- ship or financial capabilities of the new investors. Relying on infor- rrladon provided by Shelter Media representatives, city officials told the City Council that the new Shelter Media Communications is 95% owned by one new investor, New York Subways Advertising Co. Inc., an 80 -year-old firm with annual sales of $30 million. The old partnership retained 5% ownership A Second Firm But The Times found that New York Subways actually owns only 47.5% of the new Shelter Media. An equal percentage is held by an Arizona limited partnership, Sun - Ven, whose principal partners in- clude former billboard and news- paper entrepreneur Karl Eller, currently chairman of the Circle K convenience store chain, and his son, Scott Eller. City Council members were not Informed of the SunVen firm's involvement in the agreement the city signed In March. Nor were they told that the New York Sub- ways company changed hands three years ago and that its owners say that Los Angeles Is their first venture into operating bus shelters. Most of the firm's earnings come from selling advertising on New York City subway cars and sta- tions. Had the city looked, it probably could have found other bidders. An executive with Gannett, the huge media conglomerate where, inci- dentally, Eller once served as a top executive, Informally told The Times the company would have considered seeking the Los Angel- es contract if competitive bids had SHELTERS: Few for the Poor Continued from Page 2 tieen sought. Gannett is breaking into the U.S. bus shelter market .and recently outbid Shelter Media for a contract in San Francisco. -Comrie said the chief aim in the negotiations was to prevent Shelter 'Media from failing and leaving the city with hundreds of unmain- 'tained and vandalized bus shelters. He said that the city was not "in 100% strong position" to dictate terms of a new contract or find Shelter Media in default and rebid the job. But Councilman Marvin Braude, -who was active in awarding the original contract, said he specifi- cally had been assured by Comrie and other city officials in 1981 that the city could take over the shel- ters and send the project back out to bid if financial troubles threat- ened to bankrupt the builder. "This [bailout] is just the oppo- site of what I envisaged," he said. "You'll never know if you could have gotten a better deal or not. My hard -nosed view is it's always better to put it out [to competitive bid] and start all over again." But Bruce Williams and many of the city officials he has dealt with over the years say the bus shelter program should be viewed as a success because more than 700 well - maintained shelters are on the streets —one of the largest such programs in the country "We really think we're doing a good job and it's going to get better and better," Williams said. H®g h r y a y P a tr o/ Pi /o t pr og ra m P lain Wrappers' Put Dent in Truck Mishaps By JOHN KENDALL, Times Staff Writer Truck drivers rolling their big rigs along certain stretches of California highways and talking over their citizens band radios have special names for them. Some —such as "White Fright," "Silver Bullet "'and "Gray Devil" —are even printable. And on occasion, they have mistaken taxis, private security cars and air pollution control vehicles for the California Highway Patrol's "plain- wrapper" patrol cars— marked only with a CHP door insignia —thus magnifying the presence of the state agency's 15 unmarked cars. But, despite their small number when compared to.the tens of thousands of trucks on the highways, the CHP says the,unmsrked cars may be especially effective in reducing the number of truck accidents. The cars „assigned to 10 CHP -area offices patrolling sections of California 99 and Interstates 5, 880 and 710, are part of a yearlong pilot program authorized by the state Legislature. Patrolmen who drive them concentrate on speeding, reckless truckers and, occasionally, other motor- ists who commit flagrant violations. During the first three months of this year, the number of accidents involving trucks was down almost 7% statewide, the CHP said. But along sections of highways patrolled by the unmarked cars, truck-involved accidents dropped 12.7% and truck -at -fault accidents decreased 19.6 %, the agency reported. I think we have to take a cautious approach,” Deputy CHP Commissioner H. J. Hannigan said Tuesday. "We feel it is having some effect, but we want to run a- whole, year before saying without question how effective it is." Truckers Get 72% of Tickets Hannigan noted that one of the concerns of the Legislature in authorizing the pilot program was that officers in the special cars might cite as many motorists as errant truck drivers, the target of the legislation backed by the California Trucking Assn. But Hannigan said the latest statistics indicate that about 72% of all tickets written by officers in the unmarked cars go to truck drivers and the rest to motorists and motorcyclists.,, _� °,_ ..?•�r In the CHP's Southern District, which includes Los Angeles County, patrol spokesman MichaelWais said the special enforcement program has been "very effective:' For example, he said, in the Fort Tejon sectio Interstate 5, the number of truck - involved' accid�;, showed 'a 47 %.deciease in the first three months of this year, compared to the first quarter of 1986. The unmarked cars are painted, like passenger cars, except they have a white door bearing the CHP insignia. They are driven by uniformed officers, but they do not have dashboard mounts for shotguns, roof bars with red and yellow lights, whip antennas or push bumpers. They are assigned to cover a 147 -mile segment of California 99 and Interstate 5 from Bakersfield to the Verdugo Hills in the La Canada - Flintridge area; l6 miles of Interstate 5 in the Santa Ana area; 5.5 miles of Interstate 710 in the Los Angeles area; 61.7 miles: of California 99 between Modesto and Merced, and 36.6 miles of Interstate 880 from Oakland to Hayward. m o • t1 Cn z m co z d n M m < r M c � r M N Cn N F Lo W V Explosions Touched Off by Gasoline in Sewers By GREG BRAXTON and GABE FUENTES, Times Staff Writers A mysterious and dangerous gasoline leak into sewers in the San Fernando Valley forced more than 200 residents temporarily from their homes Saturday The leak produced highly flammable vapors that caused several minor explo- sions and forced dozens of fire- fighters into a daylong battle to try to dilute the fumes. No injuries resulted from the explosions, and only minor damage was reported in three homes when flames erupted near sewer lines, officials said. However, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman character- ized the fumes as highly explosive, reaching 100% flammability levels in some places. "It's the worst possible situation that you can get for the gas vapors being in the air at a maximum level," said city Fire Department Inspector Ed Reed. "It's very flam- mable." Residents Detect Fumes Reed estimated that about 300 to 400 gallons of gasoline had seeped into sewer lines from an unidenti- fied source, resulting in fumes residents could detect from toilets, manhole covers and other sewer vents. Although officials believed the problem was under control by mid- afternoon, fumes reappeared "at high readings" about 6:30 p.m. Fire officials believed the leak might have come from an under- ground high - pressure gasoline line in a Mission Hills neighborhood near Arleta Avenue and Ducat Street, said Assistant Los Angeles Fire Chief Alfred Vega. 0 LOS ANGELES TIDES SUNDAY, JULY 26, 1937 SEWERS: Gasoline Touches Off Explosions Continued from Page 1 Officials were also checking for underground spills from several gas stations located along the sew - er lines. Los Angeles County health officials also plan to investigate, said city Fire Department spokes- man Jim Wells. More than 100 homes in an area of Mission Hills partly bordered by the Golden State Freeway and the Simi Valley Freeway were without power, and residents were asked to stay outside their homes for most of the day and evening. Fire Department officials feared the gas might ignite and possibly explode around homes as it made its way through the 30 -mile sewer system to the Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant in El Segundo. From the northeast Valley into Los Angeles, firefighters lifted manholes and pumped a light foam into sewers to contain the vapors and dilute the gas as it flowed toward the Hyperion plant, Vega said. Other Cities Alerted In addition, Hyperion officials alerted city treatment plants in Glendale and Van Nuys to watch for gasoline- tainted sewage, said Dave Gumaer, a shift supervisor at Hyperion. Vega said the first hint of trouble came around 9:30 a.m. when sever- al people reported smelling gas in their bathrooms on Arleta Street. "I smelled gas coming from the toilet and in the back of the house," said Guillermo Iturbe, 23. "Then I- saw this woman across the street screaming in Spanish that there was a fire behind her house." Vega said there were four small "very minor" explosions around the neighborhood before natural gas valves could be shut off. Small fires in three of those instances caused $1,200 in damage, Wells said. Very High Readings "The readings were very high, and that really worried us, because the chances of explosions were very high," Vega said of flamma- bility levels recorded. at 100% in some areas as late as 8:30 p.m. Despite the potential for danger, residents remained largely calm, and complained about the incon- venience. Many ignored the warn- ings and stayed inside their homes. Julie Nelson, 18, said she stayed at her Ducat Street home with the power shut off and the windows open. "I can't curl my hair, so I'm not going anywhere," Nelson said. "My garage smells like a gas station I won't smoke a cigarette for a couple of days." • E Firefighters pump foam into Mission Hills manhole in an attempt to contain vapors and dilute gasoline poured into sewers. MWE MEADOWS / L. Angels MMft 91mes M o C1 Cn z rn cn z t7 � a m < r M Cn c --I c � cn m N co N tD 00 v County Toll Road Bill Takes an Early Exit By DANIEL M. WEINTRAUB, Times Staff Writer SACRAMENTO — Legislation that would have allowed construc- tion of local toll roads throughout California was withdrawn from consideration by its author Tues- day after a key Senate committee rejected his more narrowly, drawn bill'to allow the turnpikes only in Orange County But the Senate Transportation Committee action did not affect yet another legislative ,proposal for supplementing California's tradi- tional system of tax - supported freeways with turnpikes similar to those common in the East. Pilot Project That bill, by Sen. John Seymour (R- Anaheim), would enable an agency formed by Orange County and a group of cities to build and operate toll roads as an alternative to the county's chronically con- gested freeways. Seymour's -bill has. been approved by the Senate and two Assembly committees and awaits action in the full Assembly The measure the committee re- jected Tuesday, authored by As- semblyman Nolan Frizzelle (R- Huntington Beach), like Seymour's One senator suggested that a private company could close the roads if it went into bankruptcy. bill would have allowed Orange County or a joint powers agency to build toll roads in the county as a pilot project. Under current law, only the state Transportation De- partment can construct public toll roads, and none have ever been built in California. But several members of the committee who voted for Sey- mour's measure earlier this year criticized Frizzelle's bill because of provision's that would have allowed a private corporation to build and maintain the toll roads. One senator suggested that a private company might close the roads if it went into bankruptcy Another wondered how the private roads would be policed. A third blamed Sunday's air crash in De- troit on deregulation of the airline industry and predicted that private toll roads in California would be a disaster of their own. It also appeared that Frizzelle was unable to perform the same kind of political arm - twisting as Seymour, who is a member of the Senate :.Transportation Committee and until.recently was the GOP's second - ranking member in the Senate. Seymour's bill also has the back- ing of, former Sen. John Foran, who is now a lobbyist for the Orange County agency that would get the power to build toll roads under Seymour's bill. 'Got to Draw the Line' "It just seems like somewhere we've got to draw the line," said Sen. Dan McCorquodale (D -San Jose) after a lengthy debate: "Even if the toll roads worked twice as well as you [Frizzelle] say, I still think it would be a tremendous disservice to put up as a possibility of solving California's. highway needs a system of toll roads which, I think, will put us back many years." Frizzelle was able to muster only five votes for his bill, two short of the majority needed to move the measure out of the 13- member committee. And as his OranJW County bill was going down; Friz- zelleasked the committee to post-,, pone any action on his statewide toll roads bill until next year. Chances for that bill are slim, Frizzelle conceded, because "the public mind set is a little bit behind '.:what is needed before.toll roads are accepted throughout Cal'. ifornia. , Seymour, meanwhile, said he is eager to have his bill considered by the Assembly because he senses that support for the concept of toll roads, which has been weak at best, may be dwindling. "The sooner we do it, the better," Seymour said. "It's going to be touch and go." Seymour said he fears that Tu✓� day's Senate committee acti might mean trouble for his bill even if it is passed by the Assem- bly, because the measure would still' have to be returned to the Senate for concurrence in Assem= bly amendments. "I may have a difficult time," he said. Wanted 1485 1'Y OF LYNWOOD BE UF_ST FOR £ OPOSAL IMPROVEMENT OF LONG BEACH BOULEVARD The City of Lynwood is soli- citing proposals for a con- sulting engineer to provide engineering services relat- ing to the improvement of Long Beach Boulevard from Lynwood Road to the south City limits. The project is to consist of preliminary en- gineering, design engineer- ing, landscape design and construction engineering. Construction is to be partial - I funded with F.A.U. and IT.C.D.A. funds therefore, the final design and specifi- cations will be required to meet all F.ILW.A.,Cal Trans and H.C.D.A. requirements. It is the intent of the City to improve Long Beach Boule- vard with landscaped medi- ans, four travel lanes, two parking lanes, upgraded street lighting, upgraded signalized intersections with turning lanes, a new 12" wa- ter line from Euclid Avenue to Josephine Street, and 100 feet + of 12" water line at Carlin Avenue. The consul- tant will be required to rec- ommend the final street geometries, the A e of the. project and pof the protect that w icssa to meet fund time constraints. Additional information re -: garding this request for pro -. posal may be obtained from the City of Lynwood De- partment of Public Works, 11330 Bullis Road, Lynwood, California 90262, or by tele- phoning the Dept of Public Works at 213/603-0220_ A briefing will be held on August 3, 1987, at 3:30 p.m_ at the VIP Room, Bateman hall, 11330 Bullis Road, Lynwood, California, to an- I Saver questions regarding this project- Proposals must he on file in { the office of the Ducctor of 1 Public 1:'orks on or before 10.00 a.m. on August 17, 1957 No laic J,ro,roszl_, will he arc t :oj:oSa L: 11 - �•rvcd late will be returned' unoi 1.. rOpn ;als be :u:unn L.d I;I a scald cn- �' Illl v: nttcn ,; Lyperi m III Ir,wcr loft 11;wd of I l!t' Ctt ,'clgx \J LOS ANGELES TIMES SUNDAY, AUGUST Z, IY37 Y ,' our Pi I)u nl Pulul_ \';o:k.____