Chick Getting Her Ducks in a Row for a Sewer-Fee Showdown

The gauntlet has been dropped. Los Angeles City Council member Laura Chick was prepared this week to battle some of her colleagues for passage of a new residential sewer rate system that she argues would be more equitable for Valley residents.

But strong opposition is expected from lawmakers who represent the inner city, where bills would increase under the Chick-backed proposal. Most Valley residents, on the other hand, would see lower rates.

Chick decided to postpone the debate until Aug. 20 to give her time to gather more support.

“So, mark your calendars, colleagues,” she said as she rescheduled the debate.

But Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose Central Los Angeles constituents will face a 6%--or $7 per year--increase under Chick’s proposed fee system, was ready to fight back.

“No, YOU mark your calendar, colleague,” he responded.

The city currently calculates the sewer fees based on the amount of water that goes into a home, and assumes that 60% of the water ends up in the sewers.

But Valley residents have long rejected that assumption, arguing that, because of large Valley lots, Valley residents tend to put more water into landscaping than into the sewers.

The new Chick-backed proposal--crafted by the Bureau of Engineering--would calculate the sewer rate based on the amount of water used during the wettest month of the previous year, when little water is used on irrigation.

Chick wants to study further the impact of the proposal on the $2 million that the city spends annually to hear appeals from residents who feel their sewage bills are too high.

Chick argues that the new proposal will be more equitable and therefore require fewer appeals--thus costing the city less. It’s an argument she hopes will win over a few additional votes on the council.

Mark your calendars.

Gallegly Claim to Fame

Rhode Island Sen. Claiborne Pell lent his name to Pell grants, the government checks that support millions of college students. GOP Sens. Jesse Helms of North Carolina and Dan Burton of Indiana came up with the Helms-Burton law, which strikes back at the regime of Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley), meanwhile, is struggling to join those who have left their mark--and their name--on significant pieces of legislation.

Gallegly is the sponsor of a provision in the House immigration reform package that would allow states to ban illegal immigrant children from public school. Among journalists, lawmakers and even by President Clinton, the controversial proposal is known by its shorthand, “the Gallegly amendment.”

But Gallegly is not yet a household name. Politics in America, the prime congressional reference book, still offers pronunciation advice for GAL-uh-glee. And the Gallegly amendment itself, despite support from House Speaker Newt Gingrich and GOP presidential hopeful Bob Dole, is still very much up in the air.

As lawmakers wrestle with the issue behind the scenes, deciding whether it ought to be included in the final immigration package sent to the White House, Gallegly is busy rounding up support. With many in the Senate opposing the proposal, lawmakers are looking for a compromise. One deal floated recently would allow illegal immigrants to stay in school only if they could come up with out-of-district tuition.

Gallegly scored a coup last week when the California chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police broke ranks with its national president and supported the amendment.

Carl Olson, a retired Los Angeles police officer who is president of the California lodge, argues that the illegal immigrant problem is clear-cut in his mind: Illegal immigrants, every single one of them, are breaking the law and ought to be deported. He doesn’t buy the argument of most national police groups that kicking children out of school would merely cause more problems for officers on the street.

The Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., meanwhile, has lined up against Gallegly. For VICA, the Valley’s main business group, the issue boils down to one of practicality. Controversy over the Gallegly amendment is so intense, said VICA member Alan Ungar of Calabasas, that it very well may derail any immigration reform at all.

Legislators Size Up Selves

Valley-area Assembly members are no doubt lolling on the beach about now enjoying their three-week respite from legislative madness.

But as they headed off to recess, we asked them to cite their most significant pieces of legislation so far this session.

The answers ranged from such high-profile issues as same-sex marriages to a law that, while obscure, will come in handy when you make a trip to the ATM.

From now on, think of Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles) when you slide your card into the money machine. He sponsored a bill, already signed into law, that requires banks to tell customers instantly when an ATM transaction will cost money--and how much.

Believed to be the first such law in the nation, Knox called it a “significant piece of consumer protection legislation.”

Assemblyman William J. “Pete” Knight (R-Palmdale) said the most significant piece of legislation he sponsored is a pending bill to prevent California from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. In Hawaii, these unions have been sanctioned, a ruling that is undergoing legal challenge.

Knight said such a change in public policy should “not be dictated by a few judges in Hawaii” but “should be debated and decided in California.”

On a related subject, but from an opposing point of view, Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) picked his bill legitimizing “domestic partnerships.” The bill was vetoed by Gov. Pete Wilson.

As the Legislature’s first openly lesbian or gay member, Assemblywoman Sheila James Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) took more than a passing interest in both measures.

But her own personal favorite law this year, which has been passed and signed, involves the creation of a state income tax exemption for reparations paid by the German government to Holocaust survivors.

The legislation, signed by the governor in April, brings California law in line with federal policy.

“As a simple matter of fairness, these survivors should be allowed to keep the full amount of their reparation,” Kuehl said,

Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills) did not hesitate at all before picking her bill to ease the way for Valley secession as her most significant legislative act--one that awaits the pleasure (or punishment) of the Senate after legislators return from the break Aug. 5.

But leave it to Assemblyman James Rogan (R-Glendale) to pipe up with a contrarian view of legislation by the barrel full. He’s taken it upon himself to stop the madness that comes from some 6,400 bills offered up each session.

“There are too many bills,” says Rogan. “The sheer volume makes meaningful votes unlikely.”

Not surprisingly then, Rogan is most proud of legislation that would cut in half the number of bills a legislator can suggest.

“It’s a crucial piece of legislation,” he said.

Braude Braces for a Race

The race for the 11th City Council seat is beginning to take shape as an expensive and exciting one.

It looks as though Councilman Marvin Braude, a 30-year council veteran, is going to have to pull out all the stops to beat a tough field of challengers in April, including his own former aide Cindy Miscikowski and Georgia Mercer, a former aide to Mayor Richard Riordan.

Two weeks ago, Miscikowski filed her first campaign finance report, showing that she had raised $74,151, including a $10,000 loan from herself, for the period of Jan. 1 through June 30.

This week, Mercer filed her report, showing she has raised $47,668, including an $11,000 loan from herself for the same period.

Although Braude has yet to file his report, his campaign staff says he will report raising about $60,000.

But one of the key developments in the race will be who will get Riordan’s endorsement, which will probably come with some hefty contributions from rich Riordan pals.

The decision will be a tough one for the mayor because Braude has been a consistent Riordan supporter on the council. But if he endorses Braude, he alienates Mercer, who has served as Riordan’s west San Fernando Valley representative.

There is no word yet from the mayor’s office on when--or even if--he will make his decision.

Balancing Guns, Tobacco

Candidates in a hot race for Congress sweat the small stuff especially when it can be used against them by their opponents.

So it is not surprising that Rich Sybert, a GOP candidate running against state Board of Equalization member Brad Sherman, is eager to amplify what he believes are misimpressions about his positions.

To put it more bluntly, Sybert said he got heartburn several times reading a 7-inch Times story Wednesday morning.

Here’s why:

* Sherman wants stricter gun regulations than Sybert. But, Sybert says, he is no gun nut, rather a middle-of-the-road kind of guy who supports the Brady Bill and keeping a ban on assault rifles.

“I don’t think hunters need a bazooka to hunt deer,” he said.

* Sherman wants tighter regulation of the tobacco industry too, while Sybert says the regulations on the books are sufficient. Sybert says he’s the true tobacco purist because he refuses to take tobacco industry contributions, while Sherman accepted one in 1994.

One regulation Sybert opposes: Having the FDA classify tobacco as a drug.

“I’m not real taken with the idea of government as nanny,” he said.