L.A. County salaries heavily boosted by
overtime
A new report on overtime costs found that more than 3,000 of the
county’s 90,000 employees boosted their salaries by 50
percent or more in overtime pay in January.
It was the first comprehensive monthly report on overtime costs
and was requested by county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich in an
attempt to identify any abuse.
His request came after reports that 1,332 sheriff, fire,
probation and health employees boosted their salaries by more than
50 percent through overtime pay in 2002 to 2003.
Officials said they’ve only reviewed a few cases so far,
and they suspect some of the overtime was racked up by workers
helping residents affected by a series of deadly winter storms.
Uranium may leak into water via Colorado
River
Southern California’s largest water agency told federal
officials that they should move about 12 million tons of uranium
mining waste in Utah away from the banks of the Colorado River.
In a Feb. 17 letter to the U.S. Department of Energy, officials
with the Metropolitan Water District said relocating the waste
“off site is the only reliable and permanent” answer to
protecting the river downstream from further contamination by
radioactivity.
The Colorado River provides water for 18 million Southern
Californians.
The agency is considering an option that would leave the pile in
place and cap it.
MWD officials are worried that if the pile is not moved, it
potentially could leak into the river.
Schwarzenegger skips Oscars for NASCAR race
FONTANA “”mdash; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger skipped the Academy
Awards to take his 7-year-old son to the California Speedway, site
of NASCAR’s annual Nextel Cup Series Auto Club 500.
In his second visit to the race track, Schwarzenegger took a
three-hour tour and waved the green flag at the annual stock car
racing event.
He told a packed room of racers and celebrities that a trip to
the Speedway two years ago to promote his film
“˜”˜Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,”
made him “˜”˜fall in love with the
action.”
Speaking about legislative life at the state Capitol, the
governor joked he wished “˜”˜we had more action like this
in Sacramento.”
Compiled from Bruin wire services.