OTHER NEWS - April 18, 1992

Edison Executive Had Authority to OK Contracts: Contrary to a previous statement from Southern California Edison, company executive Geoffrey R. Bales had the authority to approve contracts between Edison’s research department and a Salt Lake City consultant who is his business partner. SoCal spokesman Lewis M. Phelps said when Bales was manager of research he was authorized to approve contracts up to $500,000. Bales is now being questioned by Edison to see whether he broke company conflict-of-interest rules when he failed to disclose that he had become partners with Gardner in a Salt Lake travel agency. The consultant, R. Quinn Gardner, is the focus of investigations by Edison, the state Public Utilities Commission and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office over travel expenses and work hours billed by his firm.