OXNARD : Judge Delays Ruling on Weather Service Suit

A federal court judge in New York has postponed ruling on a lawsuit by National Weather Service employees that sought to stop the relocation of the weather service’s regional office from Los Angeles to Oxnard.

At the same time, the judge ruled that moving offices from Boston and New York to smaller, outlying areas could go ahead as planned.

New York District Court Judge John Martin said it was too early to consider the National Weather Service Employees Organization’s argument against the move to Oxnard, which is planned for early October.

“Even though everyone in the world seems to know that the move is going to take place, the employees have not officially been notified by memorandum,” said Herb White, a meteorologist and spokesman for the employees union. “That’s why the judge decided the L.A. case is not ripe for a decision.”

White said that once employees are officially notified, attorneys for the union will take action in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Union attorney Richard Hirn said he expects to file suit within a month. “We will do so when it becomes clearer when the office will relocate and how many people will be moved right away.”

The weather service union, which represents National Weather Service meteorologists and technicians, contends that transferring the offices would violate a congressional act that requires the weather service to certify that a change of location will not hurt services.

Dion Hamilton, the union steward at the Los Angeles office, said he was unsure of the implications of the postponed ruling. “I expect that probably they will allow the move,” he said.