AQMD Can’t Use Tips to Track Smog-Check Stations
Dear Street Smart:
Thank you for telling us about the 1-800-CUTSMOG phone number that we can call to report flagrantly polluting cars to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
I wonder, however: Does this agency or anyone else follow up on such reports to determine which licensed smog-check station “cleared” that vehicle?
Whoever follows up should find out if that station is illegally certifying dirty vehicles.
This would be a far better approach than any random check of smog stations, and it might get rid of the worst offenders.
William G. Fawcett, Tujunga
Dear Reader:
Sounds like an excellent idea. But bureaucratic barriers stand in the way.
“It’s outside our jurisdiction,” explains Bill Kelly, a spokesman for the air quality agency. “The smog checks are run by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair.”
You might ask: Can’t the air quality folks give the polluters’ names and license numbers to the smog-check regulators? No, says Kelly, because the Department of Motor Vehicles forbids the release of this information under the privacy rules enacted after a man used driver records to locate and kill actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Even without such tips, the Bureau of Automotive Repair uses more than random visits to crack down on shady stations. The smog-check computers at more than 9,000 testing sites statewide are all connected to the bureau by modems and telephone lines, says Kate McGuire, a spokeswoman for the bureau.
Its investigators monitor these computers and look for suspicious numbers, she said. If they spot a “red flag” in the readings, the agency may send an undercover agent to check out the smog-check station. About 200 investigations are under way statewide, McGuire says.
You should also know that the state’s smog-check system is due for a major overhaul. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is threatening to hold back $700 million in highway funds if California doesn’t upgrade its system.
In particular, the feds would like us to get a smog test in one place and emission repairs in another to eliminate what they say is a potential for abuse. State officials are resisting, saying this change could put a lot of operators out of business and deal another blow to the state’s ailing economy. The two sides are still negotiating. Stay tuned.
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Dear Street Smart:
The city has put new traffic signals with a badly needed left-turn arrow at the corner of Vineland Avenue and Ventura Boulevard, just west of Universal Studios.
However, the lights are still covered up. It has been that way for six months. They painted new lines on the street and made new traffic lanes. But I was wondering when they are going to turn on the signals.
Jeff Stanger, Studio City
Dear Reader:
You’re probably not wondering anymore. Last week, shortly after your question came in and just as we were about to scold the city on your behalf, the new signals were activated.
Although the city reviewed these projects, the upgraded traffic light and new lanes were put in by private crews. The work was paid for by the developers of the nearby Studio City Place shopping center, says Brian Gallagher, a city transportation engineer.
When the city approved the shopping center, it required the builders to improve this intersection. The delay was caused by problems in coordinating the new lane-striping and the signal improvements.
Thanks to the new left-turn arrow, drivers going east on Ventura will find it easier to turn north onto Vineland.
But Gallagher said drivers going straight on Vineland now need to exercise caution. Previously, drivers going north and south got separate green lights and could turn left without worrying about oncoming traffic. The new signals give both sides a green at the same time, so those making left turns must now watch for oncoming cars.
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Dear Street Smart:
Thank you for your recent reply to that ridiculous complaint about the different colors of paint used to cover graffiti along freeway sound walls.
What you didn’t mention is that a lot of freeway graffiti is removed by volunteers. They make do with whatever cleanup supplies are available. In addition, these volunteers face some risks in pulling on and off busy freeways and working close to speeding traffic. Occasionally, they are confronted by unhappy graffiti vandals.
My father, Lefty Blasco, who is 72 years old, has devoted every Saturday and Sunday morning of the last four years to cleaning up Panorama City, including a section of the San Diego Freeway.
He and his two partners, who belong to Panorama City Graffiti Busters, could be golfing or reading or playing with the grandkids like other retirees. Instead, they choose to do something unselfish for the community. They deserve our praise and support.
When the letter-writer who complained about graffiti cover-up colors has invested 3,000 hours of his own time in painting over graffiti, he’ll have earned the right to complain.
Laura Barker, Northridge
Dear Reader:
Your letter has given Lefty and his friends some well-deserved recognition.
They are part of a small army of volunteers who are helping Caltrans spruce up our highways. The agency’s successful Adopt-a-Highway program, launched in 1989, allows clubs, organizations, businesses and individuals to take responsibility for litter cleanup along two-mile stretches of highway.
Two years ago, the agency also launched its similar Adopt-a-Wall program for graffiti cleanups.
In both programs, a sponsor can pay someone to do the work or use volunteers like Lefty. Volunteers get safety training and must wear protective attire, says Caltrans spokesman Russell Snyder. Also, the agency won’t let volunteers work right next to traffic or in other hazardous spots.
Last year, Adopt-a-Wall volunteers donated $840,000 worth of labor in Los Angeles and Ventura counties alone, Snyder says. Statewide, the work of Adopt-a-Highway volunteers is valued at about $22 million a year.
There aren’t many walls or stretches of highway still available for adoption, but you can find out where they are and how to join the program by calling Caltrans at (213) 897-3656.
