CONTRACT TERMINATION
The Pasadena City Council is seeking to terminate a contract with a company that locates underground utility lines for the city after union officials alleged that an error by the firm proved to be nearly fatal for a city worker.
A Water and Power Department employee operating a digger last week survived cutting into an allegedly incorrectly marked 17,000-kilowatt underground power line only because he was holding on to rubber.
The council asked the city attorney to report next Monday on whether it can legally terminate the contract of Underground Technology of Rancho Cucamonga, which located the line.
Meanwhile, the council, led by Vice Mayor Chris Holden, suspended the firm’s contract and launched an investigation into the March 25 incident, which caused an explosion and blackout in Old Pasadena, as well as other errors alleged by union officials.
“This is a life-or-death issue,” said Guido DeRienzo, of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ Council 36.
He demanded the investigation and the termination of the firm’s contract, saying the latest incident is the eighth mistake since November, when the firm took over the job of identifying underground utility lines from city employees.
United Technologies’ Dan Wallace, who handled the contract with the city, said he had not been contacted by the city and would reserve comment until he receives information from Pasadena Water and Power Department officials.
Rufus Hightower, general manager of the city-owned utility, said the errors were no more than when the city did the work.
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