5 in Belmont Fiasco to Get New District Jobs Soon

Five Los Angeles school district employees who were blamed for the Belmont Learning Complex fiasco will return to work by the end of the month or early December, officials said Tuesday.

The employees were placed on paid administrative leave in October 1999, after the district’s inspector general issued a report concluding that they had failed to properly supervise the project. A sixth employee who drew blame has since retired.

The Board of Education killed the $200-million high school project in January, questioning whether the nearly finished campus, which sits atop a former oil field, could ever be made safe for students.

The Board of Education on Tuesday ratified agreements with the five employees, ending their paid leaves and requiring them to serve suspensions. District officials would not disclose the lengths of the suspensions.

Speaking after the board’s vote, Supt. Roy Romer said he had reviewed each of the cases and decided that none of the employees deserved to be fired.

The five are Diane Doi, deputy director of environmental health and safety; Beth Louargand, general manager of the facilities services division; Richard Lui, safety officer; Robert Niccum, director of real estate and asset management; and Susie Wong, director of the environmental health and safety branch.

All will have new jobs when they return.