Miscikowski Says Blower Ban Is More Than Hot Air

Newly elected Los Angeles City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski tried to appease peeved constituents this week by telling them the leaf blower law is in the “warning stage of enforcement,” whatever that means.

Miscikowski issued one of her first news releases as a council member in response to angry phone calls from constituents who love the leaf blower ban championed by her predecessor, former Councilman Marvin Braude.

The callers were upset about the council’s vote last week to delay enforcement of the ban until January. They wanted Miscikowski to make it clear the ban itself is still in effect.

When angry constituents call, shrewd politicians act.

Miscikowski immediately issued a news release saying that the “ordinance banning gasoline-powered leafblowers within 500 feet of homes remains in effect and is being enforced by the Los Angeles Police Department.”

How can the law be enforced at the same time enforcement is delayed?

In the same statement, Miscikowski stated the “enforcement” entails only warnings by police.

“As of today, we are in the warning phase of enforcement,” she said. “The only thing that is on hold is the actual penalty phase associated with the citation of violators.”

In other words, it is technically illegal to use the blowers near homes, but until January the only penalty will be a stern scolding by a cop--and no one wants that on their record.

Funny Money

Don’t ask any state legislative staffers for a loan this month. Many of them are in borrowing mode themselves.

That’s because they are among the very few state employees who aren’t getting paid until their bosses come up with a state budget.

“Oh, that!” said Sandy Brown, a district aide to Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles). “We’re getting used to it.”

Not everyone is so inclined.

“It’s hard to explain to my wife why I’m not getting paid when everyone else is,” said Scott Wilk, chief of staff to Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Northridge).

The statutory requirement to pass a state budget by midnight June 30 has become so meaningless that arrangements for staffers to deal with negative cash flow are as institutionalized as the annual delay.

Banks and the state credit union routinely offer a line of credit to the aides in waiting.

“There’s no great sense of panic or urgency,” said Sandy Harrison, press secretary for Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward).

Lockyer is one of many legislators trying to correct the problem by seeking a constitutional amendment to eliminate the two-thirds requirement needed to pass the budget.

His measure would also call for the legislators and the governor not to get paid if they fail to meet the budget deadline.

Harrison said he is getting by on a check from the settlement of a union dispute with his former employer, the Daily News of Los Angeles. It arrived in the mail on his first missed payday.

Opportunity Knox

It made sense for Assemblyman Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles), the lawmaker, to hold a news conference at the Woodland Hills home of Northridge earthquake victim Barbara Shugar.

Knox was trying to resurrect a dead bill that would allow Shugar and others like her to submit late insurance claims for property damage.

It also wasn’t a bad move for Wally Knox, the politician, scoping out his next career move.

Knox is eyeing the state Senate seat that will be vacated by 23rd District Sen. Tom Hayden in three years.

The former community college board trustee and attorney already represents the eastern half of that district now, much of which is on the other side of the hill.

Woodland Hills is represented by Knox’s potential primary foe, Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica).

Kuehl has said she would be interested in replacing Hayden if the term limits law is still in force.

Asked about his trip to Woodland Hills, Knox said the lawyers for the property owners suggested Shugar’s house.

It’s too soon to talk about running for the Hayden seat, Knox said, but if term limits are upheld in court, “I would seriously consider it.”

Slow Motion

Do the wheels of government, as it is said, turn slowly?

Or in the case of a proposed redevelopment district for the northeast San Fernando Valley, do they turn at all?

It’s been more than four years since then-City Council candidate Richard Alarcon promised that the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency would study ways to revitalize Pacoima and surrounding communities.

At the time, it was unclear if the agency would recommend a full-fledged CRA project.

Once Alarcon was elected in 1993, he persuaded the council to instruct the CRA to launch the study.

But the CRA drew his wrath two years later, when he found out that the study money had been diverted--without his knowledge--for earthquake recovery and other projects.

Now, with Alarcon beginning his second term, the CRA is finally moving ahead with the studies needed to create the redevelopment district.

In the last few weeks, the City Council has allocated nearly $200,000 for the studies.

Normally, it takes up to three years to complete the work. But Alarcon wants to see the project come to fruition before his last term on the council is up.

“In this case, Councilman Alarcon asked that we take the shortest possible time to complete this,” said CRA spokeswoman Gayle Anderson.

The bottom line: It will be another year before the district can officially be launched.

This Just In

I t took a few weeks longer than anticipated, but Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) got word Thursday that he won a spot on the House Banking and Finance Committee. This is exciting news if you, like Sherman, are a CPA and tax lawyer. The committee is embroiled in a major banking reform law, so the new lawmaker might be getting lots of face time on CSPAN.

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OOPS: Van Nuys homeowner activist Prudy Schultz’s name was misspelled in the July 18 Political Briefing.