LAGUNA BEACH : Cars to Be Converted to Use Cleaner Fuel

The city of Laguna Beach will soon nearly double the number of propane-powered vehicles it has on the streets by converting 11 gasoline-driven police cars to the cleaner fuel.

“We will have more propane-powered vehicles than any police department in Orange County,” City Manager Kenneth C. Frank said.

This city has taken myriad routes trying to reduce the amount of vehicle pollutants that can be traced to city employees.

Last year, Laguna Beach bought the county’s first electric bus, a battery-powered, emission-free vehicle.

The city also offers free tennis shoes to city employees willing to walk to work and a free night at a local hotel for those who car-pool.

Laguna Beach has 14 propane-powered vehicles--three buses, three trams and eight maintenance vehicles for gardeners and other city employees, municipal services director Terry Brandt said.

The police cars will be converted during the next month, he said.

To fund the conversion, the city will add $7,200 to a $33,450 grant it received from the South Coast Air Quality Management District about a month ago. That agency has mandated that all large employers find ways to reduce the pollutants emitted by city vehicles.

“Our ultimate goal is to reduce pollution on all the vehicles we own and use,” Brandt said.

Other cities and the county are also adding less-polluting vehicles to their fleets.

Earlier this month, the Orange County Transportation Authority’s board of directors ordered a study of ways alternative fuels can be used to power 50 new county buses.

In June, the transportation authority added an electric shuttle to its fleet.