News briefs

New manager needed at Los Alamos laboratory

WASHINGTON “”mdash; Stung by security lapses at the Los Alamos
National Laboratory, the government will consider business and
management ability as much as scientific expertise when selecting a
new manager for the facility.

The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security
Administration released a draft request for proposals Wednesday as
it prepares for the first competition to run the New Mexico nuclear
weapons lab.

Los Alamos has been managed by the University of California
since the lab’s creation as a top-secret World War II project
to develop the atomic bomb. But problems, including missing
computer drives and sloppy fiscal procedures, led the department
for the first time to call for an open bidding process last
year.

The new contractor will take over when the university’s
current contract expires at the end of September. The school has
not decided whether to bid to continue managing the lab.

“˜”˜The vision is we want world-class science, enabled
by excellent operations, and really, really good business
management,” said Tyler Przybylek, chairman of the
board of National Nuclear Security Administration officials who
will evaluate proposals.

The agency will collect comments from prospective applicants,
community members and others for 30 days before issuing a final
request for proposals. Applicants will then have 60 days to submit
their proposals.

Cold hurts strawberries, break records

California’s lengthening cold snap broke records
Wednesday, damaging more of the state’s strawberry crop and
raising concerns about the health of homeless people.

“˜”˜Last night was pretty bad,” said Abby
Taylor, spokeswoman for the California Strawberry Commission.
“˜”˜It’s more damage to the fruit. It’s
another night of frost … which means the next two to three weeks,
the volume will be diminished.”

About 50 percent of some growers’ new crops in Ventura
County, northwest of Los Angeles, were damaged, Taylor said. There
are about 100 growers in that county, where about four million
pounds of strawberries were harvested last week, she said.

Freeze warnings were posted overnight in the central and
southern San Joaquin Valley, as well as in southeastern California.
Frost warnings were common elsewhere too.

The mercury fell to 32 in Sacramento shortly before dawn, tying
the record low temperature set on Dec. 1, 1929, according to a
preliminary report from the National Weather Service.

In the high desert of north Los Angeles County, Lancaster was 15
degrees, two under the 1989 mark. Other records were 29 at Santa
Maria in coastal Santa Barbara County, 33 in Burbank in the San
Fernando Valley and 41 at Los Angeles International Airport,
besting a 1948 record.

Rising real estate prices hinder public
projects

Skyrocketing real estate prices are driving up the cost of
freeway expansions, school construction and other public
projects.

The Los Angeles Unified School District and California
Department of Transportation, among other agencies, reported paying
double and triple their estimates for land when projects were
proposed years ago.

“˜”˜Our problem is, we can only move when we have
funds in place. Until that time, we can’t say,
“˜Let’s buy now when prices are low.’ It’s
luck of the draw,” said Velma Marshall, director of
real estate for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The MTA recently acquired land for the Orange Line and is buying
parcels to extend the Gold Line into East Los Angeles.

In the midst of a $14 billion school construction program, the
school district has seen real estate costs soar from $1.9 million
an acre four years ago to as much as $5 million now.

Former councilwoman indicted for money
scheme

HUNTINGTON BEACH “”mdash; A grand jury indicted a former city
councilwoman and seven other people Wednesday for an alleged real
estate scheme that involved converting apartments into
higher-priced condominiums without the required permits for the
changes.

Pamela Houchen, who resigned from the city council in September,
also was charged with corruption for allegedly concealing her
ownership of an apartment building in a redevelopment district
where she was prohibited from owning property under
conflict-of-interest laws.

The former councilwoman, a real estate broker who also has
served as mayor, is charged with 11 counts of mail fraud and seven
counts of wire fraud for allegedly selling at least eight
condominiums that she knew were fraudulently converted, according
to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Compiled from Bruin wire services.

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