Trash Truck Memos Anger City Council

Outraged Los Angeles City Council members said Monday that a criminal investigation may be warranted into why the city continued to enrich a company whose truck killed two young boys in December, even though the firm had been accused for years of poor quality by maintenance supervisors.

“There may be felony implications here,” said Councilman Richard Alarcon. His Public Works Committee has been investigating the trash truck breakdown that claimed the lives of Brian Serrano and Javier Mata as they sat in a school bus.

“We would not be doing justice to the public if we did not investigate thoroughly,” Alarcon said.

Alarcon and other council members said they were stunned by memos that appeared in The Times on Sunday documenting repeated warnings by maintenance supervisors that trucks built by Amrep Inc. and Inland Empire White GMC were plagued by critical design flaws and shoddy workmanship.

Some of the problems cited in those memos--which had not been turned over to the City Council--played a role in the fatal accident.

“It’s just disgusting,” said Councilwoman Rita Walters, who had requested a full accounting from the General Services Department on Amrep’s history with the city. The report she received summarized contract dates and procedural information.

“It really is distressing that the council would request information and that it would be glossed over, to put it mildly.”

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Walters said she will ask the full council to direct that the city attorney examine the truck controversy, including whether some of the revelations warrant a criminal probe.

In addition to supporting Walters’ motion, Alarcon said he would write a letter to the city ethics commission asking it to investigate whether ethics laws were violated.

Among other things, the newspaper reported that the former fleet services director failed to notify his superiors of his repair crews’ warnings and their recommendation that the city stop doing business with Amrep and Inland. The director, Harold Cain, retired last year and went to work for Inland.

“Mr. Cain and his relationship with Amrep and Inland has to be explored,” Alarcon said.

Cain has denied any favoritism and insists that the problems with the vehicles were gradually resolved--despite the accident and the subsequent grounding of 66 trucks because of design flaws and bad welds.

In addition, Inland and Amrep also submitted documents under the penalty of perjury that contained false information as part of an official city bid for a $10.7-million contract in 1993. Nonetheless, the two firms were awarded the deal.

City Controller Rick Tuttle, who has launched his own probe, said Monday that his auditors have contacted the district attorney office for advice regarding possible criminal violations.

“This is something that needs to be looked at very seriously,” Tuttle said.

General Services Chief Randall C. Bacon said Monday that he welcomed the scrutiny. As before, he insisted that there was no way to foresee the catastrophe that claimed the lives of the two third-graders and that Amrep’s vehicles, like all trash trucks, are “high maintenance.”

“Overall,” Bacon said, “I still have not seen anything inappropriate about those contracts.”

Council members strongly disagreed.

“I’m not buying that,” Walters said. “I see a lot wrong.”

General Services submitted a report to the Public Works Committee last month in response to questions from Walters about the history of the city’s relationship with Amrep. But that report failed to mention the existence of department memos documenting the problems with the trucks and recommending that the city stop buying them.

The report also did not mention that, because of the frequent breakdowns of trucks, taxpayers have spent hundreds of thousand of dollars in cost overruns on a series of spare parts contracts. Those contracts have cost taxpayers $2.6 million--30% more than the company said would probably be required.

Though Walters and other council members stopped short of accusing General Services of a cover-up, they said the lack of candor by department officials was disturbing.

“This really undermines one’s confidence in the department and its leadership,” said Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg. “We did not get the whole story in that report, and I find that most disheartening.”

Alarcon said: “We were trying to hone into this. It’s amazing to me that the department was not forthright.”

Bacon said he was unable to comment fully because he could not remember details of the Jan. 12 report that he signed. “I can’t recall what we responded to,” he said.

Councilman Alarcon said he will summon a number of General Service employees to a March 13 Public Works Committee hearing.

The councilman had harsh words for Alvin Blain, the current director of fleet services, who has appeared before the Public Works Committee but never disclosed that he himself had complained in a memo about “major problems” with Amrep.

“Alvin Blain came before this committee and never once mentioned any of this,” Alarcon said. “There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered.”