El Monte

Right in the middle of the smog season--when it was needed most--El Monte has reported that someone made off with its vehicle emissions testing machine. “Someone drove in the (city) yard one day and somehow picked it up and went off with it,” Public Works Director Robert Pinniger said, adding that he has little hope of retrieving the bulky equipment. “It’s a little bit bigger than something you take to (sell at) a swap meet.” Pinniger said the theft was “almost a blessing” because insurance will cover most of the $4,500 value of the five-year-old machine, which was considered obsolete.