Monterey Park Press_2/26/2024

PG 02

MONDAY, FEBRUARYY 26- MARCH 03, 2024

EPA orders Chiquita Canyon Landfill to address imminent dangers

By City News Service

An order from the Environmental Protection Agency says the operators of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill endangers nearby communities and the operators need to take immediate steps to protect human and environmental health, and area politicians are responding to the order Friday.

The EPA issued in a news release Thursday that it has found the Chiquita Canyon Landfill presents imminent and substantial endangerment to nearby communities. The order calls for the operators to mitigate off-site community impacts of noxious odors and hazardous waste and to contain and reduce the smoldering or reaction event occurring at the landfill.

Castaic on Thursday to call for the closing of the landfill.

It was the second time this week the landfill has been cited by government agencies.

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control alerted the landfill operators on Tuesday of five Class-I violations. The violations are the highest listed on the DTSC website and are “a significant threat to human health or safety or the environment.”

The landfill operators were found by the DTSC to be illegally disposing hazardous waste, in the case of Chiquita Canyon, leachate that contains toxic levels of benzene, a carcinogen, at a facility that is not permitted to treat hazardous waste.

PG 28

Teen charged in shootings that left 4 dead; 2 more deaths linked to spree

By City News Service

A17-year-old boy Friday was facing murder charges and other counts stemming from a southeastern Los Angeles County shooting spree that left four people dead, while one of the other defendants in the case was charged along with another man in connection with two additional killings, prosecutors announced.

The teen was identified by the District Attorney’s Office as Deair Fleming Delerence, who was charged in juvenile court with four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the two-day killing spree that occurred Feb. 11-12.

In court Wednesday, Delerence denied the criminal petition -- the juvenile court equivalent of a not-guilty plea.

Gary Garcia Jr., 42, and Timberland Wayne McKneely, 20, were previously charged with the same counts in connection with the shootings, which left three men and a 14-yearold boy dead. They are scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 29 in a Norwalk courtroom on the charges, which include the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and shooting from a motor vehicle causing death.

Prosecutors announced Thursday that McKneely has also been charged along with 18-year-old Joseivan Mendoza with the killings of two other men, aged 30 and 28, in Cudahy and an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County on Nov. 24, 2023. Specific details of those shootings were not immediately available.

An attorney for nearby residents impacted by the landfill filed a petition Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court asking for the

The DTSC is preparing a more complete report of the violations that is expected to be completed in April. A summary of the

Canyon Park in

load

of leachate pumped from Chiquita Canyon as hazardous waste and transported it to a nonhazardous waste facility.

The EPA is part of a multi-agency task force formed in November to address the health and environmental impacts of the landfill.

“This order reflects EPA’s commitment to ensuring landfill operators mitigate noxious odors and comply with federal law to prevent public exposure to hazardous wastes,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in the release. “Today’s order is the result of local, state, and federal collaboration to better protect the health of nearby residents as well as the surrounding environment.”

State Assemblywoman

Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, said in a statement issued Thursday, this is an urgent crisis demanding immediate solutions.

In a letter sent to representatives of DTSC, South Coast AQMD and the state Water Resources Control Board, she calls for “an urgent meeting to discuss the current state of oversight and accountability imposed upon Chiquita Canyon Landfill, the steps that DTSC will be taking to expand monitoring and mitigation, and how the DTSC, the Water Board, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District will be coordinating with local, state and federal entities to ensure rapid resolution to this crisis.”

The letter was signed by four other Assembly members.

Mendoza is also expected to be arraigned Feb. 29. He has not been linked to the Feb. 11-12 killing spree.

“My heart remains with all the victims, their loved ones, and the communities who have been affected by this senseless violence,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “My office is fully committed to ensuring that justice is served to all individuals responsible for these heinous murders. I join with all Los Angeles County residents in expressing my gratitude for the hardworking members of law enforcement who continue to investigate these horrific murders.”

The four people who died in the two-day killing spree last week are believed to have been targeted randomly by the suspects.

Garcia, McKneely and Mendoza could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charged, according to Gascón. The murder charges include a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders and shooting from a motor vehicle causing death.

The first shooting in the killing spree occurred around 11:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in the 6500 block of Bear Avenue in Bell, authorities said. That shooting left 24-year-old Kevin Parada dead. A 29-year-old man was also fired upon, but was not injured, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Shortly after midnight, another fatal shooting occurred Monday in the 1500 block of East Florence Avenue in the nearby unincorporated Florence- Firestone area. That victim, described as a 27-year-old Hispanic man, was not immediately identified.

Two boys, both Latino, were shot a short time later in the 5000 block of Live Oak Street near Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy. One of them, 14-year-old Javier Pedraza Jr.

Metro board OKs environmental impact of proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project

Federal judge in Santa Ana tosses indictment vs. white nationalists

landfill to be closed. A group of residents gathered in Hasley

violations indicates the landfill operators failed to label a 4,600-gallon

Liquids collect on top of scrim tarp and gas pillows on Jan. 18 at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

“Previously Leaking Well CV2203” is shown well after repairs to its gasket seal with leachate on ground on Jan. 18. | Photo courtesy of the EPA

Federal judge in Santa Ana tosses indictment vs. white nationalists

By City News Service

Afederal judge in Santa Ana on Wednesday tossed an indictment against members of a white supremacist group charged with rioting because prosecutors did not also go after left-wing counter-protesters.

U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney earlier tossed an indictment against Robert Rundo and Robert Boman based on free-speech arguments that challenged the constitutionality of the AntiRiot Act, but he was overturned by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. So Carney this time decided the case should be dismissed based on an argument of selective prosecution.

Federal prosecutors immediately filed a notice of appeal of Carney’s ruling.

Carney said in his ruling that enforcing the First Amendment “is not always easy. People sometimes use their First Amendment rights to spread vitriolic and hateful ideas and beliefs. The struggle of preserving the First Amendment in the face of speech many find outright dangerous is pronounced during times of uncertainty, division, polarization, and fear — challenges we unfortunately face today. But the answer cannot be for the government to single out and punish the speech that it and many in the country understandably find repugnant.”

Carney noted that the case against Rundo and

Boman “puts our nation’s fidelity to (free speech) to the test. In it, the government uses the Anti-Riot Act, a once-rarely-used criminal statute, to prosecute members of the Rise Above Movement, a group of far-right, white supremacist nationalists, who attended several rallies and protests during which they engaged in violent acts. At the same time, the government chose not to prosecute far-left extremist groups, such as Antifa, that went to the same protests and rallies and engaged in the same violent acts as alleged against defendants in this case.”

Carney contended that Antifa and other far-left activists “engaged in worse conduct and in fact instigated much of the violence that broke out at these otherwise constitutionally protected rallies to silence the protected speech of the supporters of President (Donald) Trump. That is constitutionally impermissible. The government cannot prosecute RAM members such as defendants while ignoring the violence of members of Antifa and related-far-left groups because RAM engaged in what the government and many believe is more offensive speech.”

The indictment of RAM focused in part on riots in Berkeley and Huntington Beach, and federal prosecutors in opposing the motion for selective prosecution argued that the far-right

activists pursued leftist counter- protesters who were walking away from conflicts.

Federal prosecutors argue that the FBI did not present any of the far-left activists for criminal prosecution. They noted that one UC Berkeley professor who was involved in protests in Berkeley and Sacramento had no connection to the federal district in Southern California and was never referred for prosecution.

“For example, defendants specifically identify 10 individuals who were arrested at the Berkeley rally and complain that the USAO did not charge any of them with rioting,” prosecutors said in court papers. “But as their arrest reports make clear, none of those individuals lived within the Central District of California. Defendants do not assert that any of them attended any protests in the district or otherwise engaged in activity here, such that the USAO would have had venue to charge them. The government is not required to pursue meritless charges to circumvent claims of selective prosecution.”

As for three people arrested at a protest in Huntington Beach in March 2017, the prosecutors argued there’s no evidence they could have filed cases against them for violating interstate commerce with an intent to commit a riot.

Carney, however, pointed

to video that “captured the violence that members of Antifa and related far-left groups inflicted upon the Trump supporters. A blackclad protestor, J.A., pepper sprayed a 48-year-old Trump supporter, the march organizer, who was trying to break up a fight, and then when another 56-year-old tried to grab J.A., she pepper sprayed him, too.”

Carney said the three left-wing protesters “continued to pepper spray Trump supporters, in addition to kicking and punching those around them.”

The three were arrested on suspicion of inciting a riot, battery and illegally using tear gas, but they did

not face federal charges related to the Anti-Riot Act, Carney said.

Federal prosecutors said one of the three told police he went to the protest not to fight, but resorted to pepper-spraying the crowd “when he saw his friend get ‘punched in the face,’ and that he wore a mouth guard and pepper spray for his ‘personal protection.’”

According to the arrest report, the protestor did not pursue an altercation; rather, when one erupted, J.F. “ran away, being followed by a group from the event,” federal prosecutors said.

“Whatever J.F.’s true intention, his conduct

distinguishes him facially from defendants, whom officers on the ground described as a ‘tactically trained’ group that was ‘antagonizing and challenging members of the left-side to fight,’ repeatedly the ‘first group to cross the barriers,’ and on multiple occasions, ‘pick(ed) a person and then (went) after the person as a group, pulling the person out, isolating them, and then attacking them.’”

The federal prosecutors said those reports from police at the incidents “reflect that ... defendants were more violent, persistent, and dangerous than others as a result of their coordination and planning.”

LA council looking to aid recruitment of behavioral health workers

By City News Service

The Los Angeles City Council approved recommendations Wednesday aimed at improving the coordination, delivery and communication of general and behavioral health services.

In a 12-0 vote, council members instructed staff to work with county officials to identify organizations, by council districts, currently providing health services and report back with strategies to better serve Angelenos.

Other city departments will be tasked with identifying academic institutions and certification programs that could aid in the effort.

Additionally, the city will look to address behavioral health workforce shortages through possible incentives, such as student loan repay-

ment, payment of school and certification fees and moving stipends, among other ideas.

Council members Bob Blumenfield, Eunisses Hernandez, Nithya Raman, Paul Krekorian and Monica Rodriguez initiated the effort through a motion they introduced in late January.

According to the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California’s February 2023 report, which surveyed 57 counties across the state, more than 70% of county behavioral health agencies had difficulty recruiting new hires.

The workforce is composed of licensed mental health and substance-use disorder professionals, ranging from licensed clinical social workers, licensed profession-

al clinical counselors, nurse practitioners and registered nurses to peer support specialists, care coordinators and others.

In the greater Los Angeles area, these professionals provide services to vulnerable populations, and many work for the county and city as part of regional alternative crisis response.

The city relies on behavioral health professionals through partnerships with the county to support co-deployment models such as the L.A. Fire Department’s Advanced Provider Response Units, SOBER Units and Therapeutic Van program, as well as the Los Angeles Police Department’s Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Teams, Mental Evaluation

Units and Case Assessment Management Program.

Officials are concerned that there are not enough behavioral health profes-

sionals to replace those who are at or near retirement age, or to meet the growing demand for these positions.

Previously, the

county Board of Supervisors approved incentive programs to attract more field-based behavioral health workers.

A man identified as Robert Rundo assaults a man identified as an “Antifa protester” in Huntington Beach in 2017. | Photo courtesy of captainsoncho/Instagram

| Image courtesy of the County Behavioral Health Directors Association

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Rosemead Reader

DMotion Picture Academy to honor filmmaking scientific, technical achievements

By City News Service

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday evening paid tribute to the people behind more than a dozen scientific and technical achievements that have advanced the art of moviemaking.

“The Academy recognizes and celebrates all aspects of the film industry and the diverse, talented people who make movies,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a statement when the honorees were announced. “Our Scientific and Technical Awards are a critical part of this mission, as they honor the individuals and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to our motion picture industry.”

The Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony was hosted by actress/director/ writer/producer Natasha Lyonne. The event took place at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

The honorees are the brains behind innovations such as laser projection systems, sound systems and other achievements that are likely unfamiliar to the average moviegoer, but that have advanced the filmmaking process.

Advancements being honored were not necessarily developed in the past year, but they are recognized for demonstrating “a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures,” according to the Academy.

Event honorees were:

Bill Beck for his use of semiconductor lasers for theatrical laser projection systems;

Gregory T. Niven for his work in using laser diodes for theatrical laser projection systems;

Yoshitaka Nakatsu, Yoji Nagao, Tsuyoshi Hirao, Tomonori Morizumi and Kazuma Kozuru for the development of laser diodes for theatrical laser projection systems;

Arnold Peterson and Elia P. Popov for design and engineering work, and John Frazier for the initial concept of the Blind Driver Roof Pod, which is aimed at boosting safety in stunt driving;

Jon G. Belyeu for the design and engineering of Movie Works Cable Cutter devices;

James Eggleton and Delwyn Holroyd for the design and implementation of

the “High-Density Encoding lossless compression algorithm within the Codex recording toolset”;

Jeff Lait, Dan Bailey and Nick Avramoussis for the expansion of the feature set of OpenVDB to improve the quality of film visual effects; Oliver Castle and Marcus Schoo for the design and engineering of Atlas, and to Keith Lackey for the prototype creation and early development of Atlas and its “scene description and evaluation framework”; and Lucas Miller, Christopher Jon Horvath, Steve LaVietes and Joe Ardent for the creation of the Alembic Caching and Interchange system.

Scientific and Engineering Awards — Academy Plaques

Charles Q. Robinson, Nicolas Tsingos, Christophe Chabanne, Mark Vinton and the team of software, hardware and implementation engineers of the Cinema Audio Group at Dolby Laboratories for the creation of the

ADolby Atmos Cinema Sound System; Steve Read and Barry Silverstein for their contributions to the development of the IMAX Prismless Laser Projector; Peter Janssens, Goran Stojmenovik and Wouter D’Oosterlinck for the design and development of the Barco RGB Laser Projector; Michael Perkins, Gerwin Damberg, Trevor Davies and Martin J. Richards for the design and development of the Christie E3LH Dolby Vision Cinema Projection System; Ken Museth, Peter Cucka and Mihai Aldén for the creation of OpenVDB; Jaden Oh for the concept and development of the Marvelous Designer clothing creation system; and F. Sebastian Grassia, Alex Mohr, Sunya Boonyatera, Brett Levin and Jeremy Cowles for the design and engineering of Pixar’s Universal Scene Description.

Ex-FBI informant re-arrested, charged in LA with lying about Joe Biden and son

n ex-FBI informant charged with fabricating corruption allegations against President Joe Biden and his son was re-arrested Thursday in Las Vegas after federal agents appeared at his lawyers’ offices with an arrest warrant out of Los Angeles, according to court papers.

Alexander Smirnov, 43, of Las Vegas, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was first arrested last week in Las Vegas and set free by a magistrate judge on Tuesday. He was re-arrested Thursday on a new warrant for the false statement charges, signed by U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II, who will oversee the case in downtown Los Angeles, court papers show.

Federal prosecutors allege that Smirnov lied to his FBI handler, whom he worked with for more than a decade, and should not be trusted. He also has extensive contacts in Russia and elsewhere, prosecutors said in a court filing, and lied to authorities about his “access to over $6 million in liquid funds — more than enough money for him to live comfortably overseas for the rest of his life.”

Smirnov’s lawyers have denied that their client would flee the country or otherwise try to escape prosecution. They said in a filing Thursday that Smirnov has remained fully compliant with his conditions of release since his court-ordered release Tuesday.

Defense attorneys requested an emergency hearing in front of the chief judge of the district of Nevada.

A grand jury indictment accuses Smirnov of making false allegations to FBI agents in June 2020, when he allegedly told them about meetings with an executive from Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company which employed Hunter Biden as an attorney and later as a member of its corporate board.

He also allegedly told agents that the Burisma executives made $5 million payments to both Joe and Hunter Biden when Joe Biden was vice president, court papers show.

Hunter Biden faces federal charges related to an illegal purchase and possession of a gun, as well as nine tax-related charges in Los Angeles for his alleged failure to pay $1.4 million in taxes owed between 2016 and 2019, according to federal prosecutors. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.

Technical Achievement Awards — Academy Certificates

IMAX projectors. | Photo courtesy of IMAX

TTrey Songz accusers drop lawsuit alleging sexual assault

James Hong places handprints, footprints outside TCL Chinese Theatre

By City News Service By City News Service

wowomenwho accused Trey Songz of sexual assault at a 2015 party at his Bell Canyon home have dropped their lawsuit.

An attorney for the plaintiffs, identified only as Jane Doe A and Jane Doe B, filed court papers on Tuesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen DuffyLewis asking that their case be dismissed “without prejudice,” meaning it can be refiled later. The pleadings do not state if a settlement was reached or if the women were not pursuing the case for other reasons.

Jane Doe A lives in San Diego and Jane Doe B in Denver, the suit states. The two plaintiffs were expecting a celebration when they went to the R&B singer’s home on his invitation after attending one of his concerts on Aug. 2, 2015, but were instead subjected to “acts so heinous, so contrary to basic human decency, that they defy comprehension,” the suit filed Oct. 23 stated.

“The atmosphere grew heavy, disturbingly, (and)

while defendant Songz and his male associates did not drink alcohol, the plaintiffs and other female guests were coercively pressed to drink from unsealed liquor bottles, which were curiously full, and faced intense intimidation if they dared to decline,” the suit stated.

Both women believe they were led by the 39-yearold “Can’t Help but Wait” singer to an upstairs room after being drugged and sexually assaulted during

the night, the complaint alleged.

The morning of Aug. 3, 2015, the women waited about 30 minutes to get their phones returned and another 40 minutes for a ride-hailing driver to arrive, according to the complaint, which also states that their finances have been impacted and that they continue to suffer from emotional distress.

The singer’s real name is Tremaine Aldon Neverson.

James Hong placed his handprints and footprints in cement in the forecourt of the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood Thursday, his 95th birthday, honoring a seven-decade acting career with more than 600 credits.

“When I first came here in 19 — I think it was 1953 — the first thing I did was come here and try all the footprints,” Hong told the crowd gathered for the event. “I put mine on top of John Wayne. Wow, too big for me. Too large. Jimmy Stewart? Too large. But now, today, I have my own size.”

Oscar-winning filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and actress Lucy Liu were among those joining Hong at the ceremony.

Kwan and Scheinert won best director and best original screenplay Oscars at last March’s Academy Awards for the best picturewinning time- and spacetwisting sci-fi tale, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which they produced with Jonathan Wang. Hong portrayed the demanding father of dissatisfied and overwhelmed laundromat owner Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh) in the film.

Liu and Hong both supplied voices for all the “Kung Fu Panda” films, including “Kung Fu Panda 4,” set to premiere March 8.

Born in Minneapolis to Chinese immigrant parents, Hong told CNN in a 2020 interview he

received some of his favorite acting inspiration from his father’s herb shop in Minneapolis.

“All the laundrymen from Minneapolis had nothing to do on weekends, so they would gather at my father’s store, herb store,” Hong said. “I remember that, because we’d have those little wooden stools and they all gathered there, and they hired these Chinese opera people from San Francisco to come and do their thing. ... I was only a little boy. You watch them with wide eyes, ‘Wow! What a profession.’”

Hong studied civil engineering at the University of Minnesota and joined the Minnesota Army National Guard. His national guard unit was mobilized during the Korean War and Hong was sent to Camp Rucker, Alabama for training.

After finishing his training for the day, he would entertain soldiers. Upon witnessing Hong’s performing prowess, the camp general asked Hong to stay at Camp Rucker and be in charge of the camp’s live shows rather than being deployed to Korea.

After the Korean War, Hong moved to Los Angeles in 1953 with a friend and finished his engineering degree at USC. After graduation he worked as a road engineer for Los Angeles County for 5 1/2 years, while acting in the evenings, the weekends and during his vacation

time.

Hong has said his breakthrough came in a 1954 appearance on Groucho Marx’s game show “You Bet Your Life,” when he did impersonations of Marx, James Cagney and others, which resulted in a huge flood of fan mail and landed Hong an agent.

Hong is the only living actor to have worked with Clark Gable and Marx, appearing with Gable in the 1955 adventure film “Soldier of Fortune.”

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” was the fifth film Hong appeared in that was nominated for a best picture Oscar. The others were “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” “The Sand Pebbles,” “Chinatown” and “Bound for Glory,” with “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the only one to win.

Hong’s other film credits include “Airplane!”

“Big Trouble in Little China,” “Black Widow,” “Blade Runner,” “Flower Drum Song,” “Mulan” and “Wayne’s World 2.”

Hong’s television credits include “Seinfeld,” “All in the Family” and “Perry Mason.”

Hong was among the Asian American artists who founded the East West Players in 1965, seeking to create roles beyond the stereotypical parts they were offered in mainstream Hollywood. It has become the nation’s premier Asian American theater.

James Hong. | Photo courtesy of James Hong/X

Trey Songz. | Photo courtesy of Lunchbox LP/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

What the Biden administration’s new executive order on AI will mean for cybersecurity

By Dom DiFurio, Stacker

Regulations have been proposed by a presidential administration committed to a responsible rollout of one of the most consequential technologies since the advent of the internet.

The adoption of AI products accelerated rapidly over the past year since OpenAI released its large language modelpowered chatbot, ChatGPT. Today, the generative AI platform boasts more than 100 million weekly users worldwide and is used by developers at nine in 10 Fortune 500 companies.

In that time, academics, researchers, and even the CEOs of companies producing AI tools themselves have called for guidance and responsible safeguards for AI. Among their concerns are the displacement of workers; violations of copyright law; furthering wealth inequality in financial services, as well as dissemination of discrimination and misinformation; and national security in a world where other global powers have access to AI as well.

Drata reviewed the Biden administration’s 48-page executive order on AI and analyses from law firms and researchers to identify the proposals most likely to affect U.S. cybersecurity.

The order has been described as “sweeping” by academics because it proposes regulations for using AI in the federal government and managing risks to privacy, consumer protections, national security, and civil and human rights in both the public and private sectors.

The Biden administration said it not only wants to prevent harm but promote a responsible development of AI tools that will keep the U.S. at the forefront of what’s been dubbed the “AI arms race.” On that front, the order aims to “maximize the benefits of AI” for working Americans, expand grant funds for AI

research, attract workers who can work on advanced AI systems, and hire AI professionals into federal agencies.

A benchmarking initiative from the Commerce and Energy departments

The Department of Commerce is the federal agency implementing and overseeing many of the executive order’s new rules and regulations. The department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology released its Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework in January 2023 for developing and deploying AI systems responsibly within the government, which can be used voluntarily by the private sector.

The executive order has given the Department of Commerce nearly a year to expand on its NIST framework and create a version for generative AI products like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini model. The order will also launch an initiative to create standards for how companies and the government should audit AI systems to determine cybersecurity risks.

Training record

transparency

The Department of Commerce will also require private companies to turn over to the government records from AI training processes for advanced models considered “dualuse foundation models.” AI is developed by feeding an algorithm large amounts of data, which it can learn from, cite when answering prompts, and use to generate media or perform a task.

The administration’s executive order defines “dual-use” as an AI model “trained on broad data; generally uses self-supervision; contains at least tens of billions of parameters; is applicable across a wide range of contexts; and that exhibits, or could be easily modified to exhibit, high levels of performance at tasks that pose a serious

risk to security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.”

The executive order states that the government is particularly concerned with how those models might make it easier to develop weapons of mass destruction, enable “powerful” offensive cyberwarfare capabilities, and become difficult for humans to control once unleashed.

Annual CISA risk reports

Importantly, the order also lays the groundwork for protecting critical infrastructure around the country from cyberattacks via vulnerabilities in AI models. Any agency overseeing critical infrastructure, like the Department of Energy, will be required to meet with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director at least once a year to report risks posed by AI.

Treasury’s best practices for financial sector cybersecurity

The part of the order focused on risk reporting with CISA also requires the Treasury Department to pull together and share best practices for financial institutions trying to mitigate cybersecurity risks posed by AI systems.

In an August 2023 report, the International Monetary Fund found that AI models pose an inherent risk to customers’ data privacy, civil rights, and financial security. Financial institutions like banks are vulnerable to phishing attacks and identity theft that could become much more sophisticated and aggressive with the adoption of generative AI. The report also detailed the risks posed by institutions using AI to do things previously performed by humans, like profiling them for risk before lending them money, which could result in discriminatory lending decisions.

Potential regs for AI in health care settings

Over the next year, an AI task force made up of the secretaries of the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and of Health and Human Services will develop policies for the responsible deployment of AI in the health care sector. It would include AI systems that might be used for new drug discovery, health care devices, public health initiatives, and care financing. The order instructs those department heads to propose regulatory action “as appropriate.”

The order specifically calls out the need for guidance on how software security standards can be updated to protect personally identifiable information maintained by companies in the sector. The health care sector is one that stands to benefit

greatly from the advancement of technology and is also among the most targeted by cyberattacks.

Incorporation

of AI in government operations with CISA guidance

The federal government isn’t planning to sit on the sidelines and merely set the rules for the rest of the players. It, too, is interested in deploying and using AI for its own operations. The order explicitly discourages government agencies from “imposing broad general bans or blocks on agency use of generative AI.” Instead, it encourages limiting their use based on risk assessments of each specific tool.

That will mean, in part, establishing a position at each agency known as the Chief AI Officer. Those heads and their agencies will be provided with recommendations by the

Office of Management and Budget for navigating the implementation of AI responsibly while factoring in practical limitations like budgets, workforce training, and necessary cybersecurity processes. Agencies will also receive recommendations for how to conduct “red teaming” on generative AI systems— the process of trying to exploit the weaknesses of a system in an adversarial way to learn how to defend it better.

Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Paris Close.

This story originally appeared on Drata and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

Republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This article was retitled and copy edited from its original version.

President Biden signs the new executive order on artificial intelligence. | Photo courtesy of Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images/Stacker

TV host Wendy Williams diagnosed with aphasia, dementia Vote centers open throughout SoCal

By City News Service

Former talk show host WendyWilliams’ medical team announced Thursday that she has been diagnosed with a pair of cognitive disorders — primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.

“Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life,” according to a statement released by the 59-year-old Williams’ “care team.”

Actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with the same conditions last year.

“As Wendy’s fans are aware, in the past she has been open with the public about her medical struggles with Graves’ Disease and Lymphedema as well as other significant challenges related to her health,” according to the statement. “Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions.”

The concerns led to a battery of tests last year, leading to the diagnoses. The statement credits the work of specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” according to the statement. “Most importantly she maintains her

trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.”

The public announcement of her condition comes on the heels of a People magazine report this week that a

legal guardian has been appointed by a court to oversee Williams’ affairs while she undergoes treatment.

On Saturday, Lifetime is scheduled to begin airing a two-night documentary series that follows Williams from the time her daytime talk show was canceled in June 2022 until she was admitted for treatment last year.

By City News Service

BeginningSaturday, 119 vote centers will be open across Los Angeles County for residents to cast in-person ballots for the upcoming presidential primary election.

Early voting is already available at the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office in Norwalk, at 12400 Imperial Highway. The 119 centers opening Saturday are spread throughout the county in hopes of encouraging more people to get their votes in early.

The centers will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters can cast their ballot at any center, regardless of where they live in the county. A list of nearby locations can be found online at locator. lavote.gov.

People who missed the voter-registration deadline but still want to vote can register at a vote center and cast a provisional ballot.

On March 2, more than 600 vote center locations will open across the county.

On Election Day, March 5, the centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Riverside

A total of 17 vote centers

will open throughout Riverside County starting this weekend for the 2024 Presidential Primary Election, the county of Riverside announced.

Seventeen vote centers were set to open this Saturday, and an additional 131 vote centers will open next Saturday, March 2 for a total of 148 operational vote centers throughout the county.

Voters are not assigned to a specific location and may cast their ballot at any available vote center, the county of Riverside announced.

For voters who wish to return their vote-by-mail ballots at a drop box location, the Registrar of Voters has 106 official ballot drop-off locations throughout the county. Drop boxes will remain open through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

A list with dates and hours of operation, as well as a map of vote centers and ballot drop off locations are available at voteinfo.net.

San Diego

A total of 39 vote centers were scheduled to open throughout San Diego County this weekend for the 2024

Presidential Primary Election, the county of San Diego announced.

An additional 179 vote centers will open this Saturday, March 2, for a total of 218 operational vote centers throughout the county.

Voters are not assigned to a specific location and may cast their ballot at any available vote center, the county announced.

The locations will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 4. On the final day of voting, March 5, all vote centers and official ballot drop boxes will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For voters who wish to return their vote-by-mail ballots at a drop box location, the Registrar of Voters has 146 official ballot drop-off locations throughout the county. Drop boxes will remain open through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

A list with dates and hours of operation, as well as a map of vote centers and ballot drop off locations are available at voteinfo.net.

Voters can visit any vote center in the county and can find a location at sdvote.com.

Wendy Williams. | Photo courtesy of WBLS/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

This map shows LA County vote centers. | Image courtesy of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office

Temple City City Notices

TEMPLE CITY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION

The Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the project described below. You are receiving this notice because your property is located near the project, the project may directly, or indirectly affect you, or because you have requested to be notified.

Project Citywide, City of Temple City, County of Los Angeles

Location:

Project: File PL 24-4478. Adoption of thresholds of significance for projects and plans reviewed under the California Environmental Quality Act

Applicant: City of Temple City, 9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780

Environmental The adoption of thresholds of significance is exempt from CEQA

Review: review. Section 15064.7 of the CEQA Guidelines establish the process for adopting thresholds and CEQA review is not part of this procedure. Additionally, adoption of thresholds is not a “project” because environmental changes that might result from their adoption are too speculative to be considered “reasonably foreseeable” under CEQA.

The Planning Commission Public Hearing will be held:

Meeting Date & Time: Tuesday, March 12 at 7:30 P.M.

Meeting Location: City Council Chambers, 5938 Kauffman Avenue, Temple City, CA 91780

For questions or concerns regarding this project, or if you wish to review the project file, please contact:

Project Planner: Scott Reimers, Community Development Director (626) 656-7316 sreimers@templecity.us

The decision of the Planning Commission is a recommendation to the City Council. A separate public hearing for the project will be held before the City Council. When scheduled, the hearing will be separately noticed. If you challenge any of the foregoing actions in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the hearing body at, or prior to, the public hearing.

Date: 02/21/2024

Signature: Scott Reimers, Community Development

Publish February 26, 2024

TEMPLE CITY TRIBUNE

El Monte City Notices INVITATION TO BID

Pursuant to Public Contract Code Sections 1600 and 1601, all bids or proposals shall be submitted through the City’s electronic bid management system (PlanetBids) at https://www.planetbids.com/ portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43375 by 2:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on or before MARCH 12 , 2024 for the project listed below. A bid submitted after the time set shall not be considered. Bidders are required to submit (upload) all items listed in Section 4(d) of Instructions to Bidders, including a copy of the required Bidder’s Bond and acknowledgement of all addenda. Bids will be received by the City via the electronic submission up to the date and time shown in the Invitation to Bid. The City will be responsible for bid tabulations. Bids will be opened and read out loud by the City Clerk’s Office in Council Chambers at the date and time stated in the Invitation to Bid. Bid results will be made available to the public on the City’s website in the electronic bid management system once the bid tabulation has been completed.

The foregoing notwithstanding, the award of any contract shall be subject to approval by the City Council at a duly noticed City Council meeting and the City Council reserves the right to reject all Bids.

The Bidder, by submitting their electronic proposal, agrees to and certifies under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the certification, forms and affidavits submitted as part of this proposal are true and correct. The Bidder, by submitting its electronic bid, acknowledges that doing so carries the same force and full legal effect as a paper submission with a longhand (wet) signature. By submitting an electronic bid, the Bidder certifies that the Bidder has thoroughly examined and understands the entire Contract Documents (which consist of the plans and specifications, drawings, forms, affidavits and the solicitation documents), and that by submitting the electronic bid as its Bid proposal, the Bidder acknowledges, agrees to and is bound by the entire Contract Documents, including any addenda issued thereto, and incorporated by reference in the Contract Documents.

BALDWIN AVENUE

STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

PHASE 1, CIP NO. 039

The proposed work consists of traffic safety enhancements including modification of traffic striping, signing and replacement of traffic loop detectors, as set forth in the Contract Drawings and Technical Specifications for the project. The City Engineer’s estimate for the project is approximately two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000).

Completion of Work: All work shall be completed within ten (10) working days from the date designated on the Notice to Proceed.

Obtaining Contract Documents: Specifications and contract documents are posted in the City’s electronic bid management system (PlanetBids) at https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=43375. All Bidders must first register as a vendor on the City of El Monte PlanetBids System website to participate in a Bid or to be added to a prospective Bidders list. Only those parties that have registered with the City as a plan holder on a particular project will receive the addendum(a) for that project. The City is not responsible for notifications to those parties who do not directly register as a plan holder on the City’s database. It is the responsibility of all perspective Bidders to register on the City’s database to ensure receipt of any addendum(a) prior to Bid submittals. Additionally, information on any addendum(a) issued for any bid specifications for any project will be available on the City website at: https:// www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43375. The City reserves the right to reject as nonresponsive any bid that fails to include the information required by any addendum(a) posted on the City website.

Questions: Project-specific questions must be submitted in writing through the City’s electronic bid management system (PlanetBids) at https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal. cfm?CompanyID=43375 by 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on or before MARCH 4, 2024. All posted questions will be answered in writing and conveyed via written addenda to all Proposers via posting on PlanetBids.

Submission of Proposals: Pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 1600 and 1601, all bids or proposals shall be submitted through the City’s electronic bid management system (PlanetBids) at https://www.planetbids.com/portal/portal.cfm?CompanyID=43375 no later than the date and time prescribed. All bids must be signed by an authorized representative.

All required sections, including pricing, shall be submitted (uploaded) via the website. The Bidder shall attach Subcontractor(s) Listing, Experience Form, Copy of Bid Security, and all other documents as listed in the BIDDER’S CHECKLIST to the PlanetBids Attachments Tab. The system will not accept a bid for which any required information is missing. Prior to the bid due date and time, all Bidders shall submit the original Bid Security to: Office of the City Clerk City of El Monte – City Hall East 11333 Valley Blvd. El Monte CA, 91731

The award of the contract by the City Council is contingent upon the Bidder submitting the required bonds and insurance, as described in the Contract, prior to the Bid due date and time. Proof of delivery that is date/time stamped and signed for by the City Clerk from other couriers other than Certified Mail will be accepted. A copy of the proof of delivery shall be submitted with the bid package

by the bid due date. If the Bidder fails to comply with these requirements, the City may award the contract to the second or third lowest Bidder and the Bid security of the lowest Bidder may be forfeited.

Bids Remain Sealed Until Due Date and Time. Electronic Bids are transmitted into the City’s bidding system via hypertext transfer protocol secure (https). Bids submitted prior to the due date and time are not available for review by anyone other than the submitter, who will have until the due date and time to change, rescind or retrieve its bid should they desire to do so. Upon the Bidder’s entry of their bid, the system will ensure that all required fields are entered. The system will not accept a Bid for which any required information is missing. This includes all necessary pricing, subcontractor listing(s) and any other essential documentation and supporting materials and forms requested or contained in these solicitation documents. All Bid submission information must be fully transferred from the Bidder server to the bid system server before bid closing. Bids still transmitting at the time of bid closing will not be accepted. Bidders will receive an e-bid confirmation number with a time stamp from the bid management system indicating their bid was submitted successfully. The City will only receive those bids that were transmitted successfully. DO NOT FAX OR EMAIL.

Bid Security: Each proposal must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the form of a cashier’s check, certified check, or bid bond executed on the prescribed form, in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the total bid price payable to the City of El Monte. Bidders are hereby notified that in accordance with the provisions of Public Contract Code Section 22300, securities may be substituted for any monies which the City may withhold pursuant to the terms of this Contract to ensure performance. Prior to the bid due date and time, all Bidders shall submit the original Bid Security to the City Clerk. Proof of delivery that is date/time stamped and signed for by the City Clerk from other couriers other than Certified mail will be accepted. A copy of the proof of delivery shall be submitted with the bid package by the bid due date.

Contractor's License: Bidder must possess a current Class A or C-32 license issued by the State of California, at the time the bid is submitted.

Contractor Registration: All Bidders and listed subcontractors must have registered with the California State Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5 prior to submitting a bid. Furthermore, a Contractor and all subcontractors must be registered pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5 before entering into a contract to work on a public project.

City’s Right to Postpone Opening of Bids. The City reserves the right to postpone the date and time for the opening of bids at any time prior to the date and time initially announced in this Invitation to Bid in accordance with applicable law.

Opening of Bids. Bids will be received by the City via the electronic submission up to the date and time shown in the Invitation to Bid. The City will be responsible for bid tabulations. Bids will be opened and read out loud by the City Clerk’s Office in Council Chambers at the date and time stated in the Invitation to Bid. Bid results will be made available to the public on the City’s website in the electronic bid management system once the bid tabulation has been completed.

Award: The award shall be made to the lowest responsible Bidder whose proposal complies with the specified requirements. The foregoing notwithstanding, the award of any contract shall be subject to approval by the City Council at a duly noticed City Council meeting. Contractor shall execute the Contract within ten (10) days after it has received the Contract from the City. The City reserves the right to waive any irregularity in the proposals. No bid may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the opening of bids.

Rejection of Bids: The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The City further reserves the right to waive immaterial irregularities in any bid. Any bid not conforming to the intent and purpose of the Contract Documents may be rejected. The City reserves the right to make all awards in the best interest of the City.

Disqualification of Bidder: If there is a reason to believe that collusion exists among any Bidders, none of the bids of the participants in such collusion will be considered and the City may likewise elect to reject all bids received.

Wage Rates: Bidders are hereby notified that the California Department of Industrial Relations has determined the general prevailing rate of wages for each craft, classification, or type of worker needed to execute the work. Copies of the current schedules for prevailing wages applicable to this project are on file in the City’s office. It shall be mandatory for the Contractor and any subcontractor under it to pay not less than the said specified rates to laborers and workmen employed by them in the execution of the Contract. The contractor’s duty to pay State prevailing wages can be found under Labor Code, Section 1770 et seq. Labor Code Sections 1775 and 1777.7 outline the penalties for failure to pay prevailing wages and employ apprentices including forfeitures and debarment.

Bonds: The successful Bidder will be required to furnish a payment bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price, and a faithful performance bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract price.

Publish February 26 & 29, 2024

EL MONTE EXAMINER

CITATION FINE AMOUNTS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF THE CITY TREE AND INDIGENOUS TREE ORDINANCES AND AMENDING THE EXISTING COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE FEE SCHEDULE TO ADD VIOLATIONS SUBJECT TO FINES RELATED TO ENFORCEMENT OF THE CITY TREE AND INDIGENOUS TREE ORDINANCES.” A copy of said Ordinance is on file and available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk. In substance, this Ordinance adds and modifies administrative citation fines in the Citywide Fee Schedule for enforcement of the Public Tree and Indigenous Tree Ordinances, including in-lieu fee options for permitted tree removal and replaces fees, and fees for unpermitted tree damage or destruction fees.

Suzie Abajian, Ph.D.

City Clerk of the City of Glendale

Publish February 26, 2024

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

City of Glendale

Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of Intent to Request a Release of Funds

NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

Date of Notice: February 26, 2024

Roubik Golanian City Manager 633 E. Broadway, Glendale CA 91206 818 550-4400

These notices shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the City of Glendale Community Development Department.

REQUEST FOR RELEASE OF FUNDS

On or about March 15, 2024 the City of Glendale Community Development Department authorizes the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California to” submit a request to HUD for the release of Economic Development Initiative (EDI)-Special Project funds, to undertake a project known as Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California for the purpose of building a museum which consists of ground floor (approx. 15,609 sq ft) covered and outdoor plazas, a glass enclosed lobby, a coffee shop, loading area, and a 315-seat auditorium projection room/stage area. The auditorium would allow the Museum to host events, such as lectures, small film screenings, performances, & social events. The second floor (approx. 25,621 sq ft) would include an exhibition hall, souvenir shop, and common and private support areas. The exhibition hall, consisting of approximately 17,800 sq ft. would feature permanent/rotating exhibits. The exhibition storage would facilitate the changing exhibition program and provide care for collection items. The rooftop (approx. 18,570 sq ft) would include an office, education/research areas, collection storage, a demo kitchen, and common and private areas. The Museum includes designed open space & amenities, 16,500 sq ft outdoor plaza; 1,900 sq ft coffee shop and 800 sq ft outdoor terrace. Estimated funding is $45 million dollars with $950,000 in HUD funding located in the heart of Central Park Block to include Brand Boulevard Paseo, Central Library and Adult Recreation Center.

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

The City of Glendale Community Development Department has determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR) on file at Roubik Golanian, City Manager, 633 E. Broadway, Glendale CA 91206 where ERR can be examined and where the record is available for review and may be examined or copied weekdays 9 A.M to 5 P.M. The ERR can also be accessed online at: www.glendaleaca.gov or requested via email to ekrause@glendaleca.gov

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the City of Glendale Community Development Department at 633 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206 or email ekrause@glendaleca.gov All comments received by March 15, 2024 will be considered by the City of Glendale Community Development Department prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds. Comments should specify which Notice they are addressing.

Please contact: Erik Krause at (8181) 55-4400 or email at: ekrause@glendaleca.gov

ENVIRONMENTAL CERTIFICATION

The City of Glendale Community Development Department certifies to HUD that Roubik Golanian, in their capacity as City Manager consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. HUD’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California to use Program funds.

OBJECTIONS TO RELEASE OF FUNDS

HUD will accept objections to its release of fund and the City of Glendale Community Development Department’s certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer of the Community Development Department; (b) the Community Development Department has

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF LAURANCE

LANE

Case No. 24STPB01516

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of LAURANCE LANE

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Colleen White in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Colleen White be ap-pointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court ap-proval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the per-sonal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on March 11, 2024 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 67 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal rep-resentative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner:

CHRISTOPHER P BRANDLIN ESQ SBN 278426

CHRISTOPHER P BRANDLIN APC BEZAIRE LEDWITZ & ASSOCIATES APLC 2780 SKYPARK DR STE 295 TORRANCE CA 90505 CN104233 LANE Feb 19,22,26, 2024

ALHAMBRA PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

KENNETH JAMES LEE AKA

KENNETH J. LEE

CASE NO. 24STPB01592

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of KENNETH JAMES LEE AKA KENNETH J. LEE.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by ELLEN MAE LEE in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that ELLEN MAE LEE be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representa-

tive will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

03/14/24 at 8:30AM in Dept. 67 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner CHARLES J. STAVELEY - SBN 298971

PABST AND STAVELEY, a P. C. 3436 N. VERDUGO RD., SUITE 220

GLENDALE CA 91208

Telephone (818) 957-8800 2/19, 2/22, 2/26/24 CNS-3784518#

GLENDALE INDEPENDEN

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF

Michael C. O’Connor AKA

Michael Charles O’Connor

CASE NO. 24STPB01349

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: Michael C. O’Connor AKA Michael Charles O’Connor

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by James P. O’Connor in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that James P. O’Connor be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with full authority . (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on 3/6/2024 at 8:30 am in Dept. 9 located at 111 N. HILL ST. LOS ANGELES CA 90012 STANLEY MOSK COURTHOUSE.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from

LEGALS

the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: Elizabeth Vozzella, Esq. 3553 Atlantic Avenue #187 Long Beach, CA 90807 Telephone: (562) 426-9876 2/19, 2/22, 2/26/24 CNS-3784748# BELMONT BEACON

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF NERCESS EDWARD BABAYAN

Case No. 24STPB01673

To all heirs, beneficiaries, cred-itors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of NERCESS EDWARD BABAYAN

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Hermineh K. Babayan; Edward N. Babayan; Tallin H. Ba-bayan in the Superior Court of Cali-fornia, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Hermineh K. Babayan be appointed as personal repre-sentative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administra-tion authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objec-tion to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on March 15, 2024 at 8:30 AM in Dept. No. 99 located at 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your ap-pearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issu-ance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for petitioner:

ROUPEN AVSHARIAN ESQ SBN 182647

AVSHARIAN & ASSOCIATES

450 N BRAND BLVD STE 600 GLENDALE CA 91203

CN102847 BABAYAN Feb 22,26,29, 2024

BURBANK INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF

JEFFREY JOHN

DANTAGNAN AKA JEFF J.

DANTAGNAN

CASE NO. 24STPB01700

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JEFFREY JOHN DANTAGNAN AKA JEFF J. DANTAGNAN.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by BARRY DANTAGNAN, JR. in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that BARRY DANTAGNAN, JR. be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

03/22/24 at 8:30AM in Dept. 44 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

AMANDA KRUSE - SBN 346654, LAGERLOF, LLP

155 N. LAKE AVE., FLOOR 11 PASADENA CA 91101, Telephone (626) 683-7234 2/22, 2/26, 2/29/24 CNS-3785035# BURBANK INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: CHARLES SATRUSTEGUI

CASE NO. 23STPB09717

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of

CHARLES SATRUSTEGUI.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by MARTHA SATRUSTEGUI in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that MARTHA SATRUSTEGUI be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/29/24 at 9:30AM in Dept. 5 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

ZEV S. BROOKS - SBN 162830

LAW OFFICE OF ZEV BROOKS

18627 BROOKHURST ST. PMB 435

FOUNTAIN VALLEY CA 92708

Telephone (714) 965-0179

BSC 224712 2/22, 2/26, 2/29/24

CNS-3785360#

GLENDALE INDEPENDENT

NOTICE OF PETITION TO

ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

JOSE ISRAEL CHAVEZ

CASE NO. 24STPB01780

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of JOSE ISRAEL CHAVEZ.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by CHRISTIAN RUIZ AND EVELYN CHAVEZ in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that CHRISTIAN RUIZ AND EVELYN CHAVEZ be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/18/24 at 8:30AM in Dept. 9 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

tion 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

CHRISTOPHER P. WALKER, ESQ. - SBN 174533

LAW OFFICE OF CHRISTOPHER P. WALKER, P.C.

505 S. VILLA REAL DRIVE, STE. 103

ANAHEIM HILLS CA 92807 Telephone (714) 639-1990 BSC 224706 2/22, 2/26, 2/29/24

CNS-3785384#

BALDWIN PARK PRESS

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

TERRY DANNE

CASE NO. 24STPB01848

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of TERRY DANNE.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by MARY THERESA DANNE in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that MARY THERESA DANNE be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: 03/19/24 at 8:30AM in Dept. 11 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

TO

OF:

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under sec-

Attorney for Petitioner

SCOTT FEIG, ESQ. - SBN 299493

FEIG LAW FIRM 930 ROOSEVELT, SUITE 214 IRVINE CA 92620

Telephone (949) 689-9715 BSC 224738

2/26, 2/29, 3/4/24

John Wooden stamp issued Saturday at UCLA

By Steven Herbert, City News Service

Afirst-day-of-issue ceremonyfora commemorative U.S. Postal Service Forever stamp depicting the late UCLA basketball coach John Wooden took place on Saturday outside Pauley Pavilion in Westwood.

UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, former UCLA women’s gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field, Basketball Hall of Famer Jamaal Wilkes, Christy Impelman, a granddaughter of Wooden, and Derek Kan, a member of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, were set to speak at the 1 p.m. ceremony, which came six hours before the start of the Bruins’ game against USC.

“We take enormous pride in the fact that the U.S. Postal Service has added to coach Wooden’s legacy with this honor,” Block said in a statement prior to the ceremony. “A USPS Forever stamp can be used as postage in perpetuity and that is quite appropriate for a man whose timeless wisdom will continue to shape lives for many years to come.”

Wooden coached UCLA to a 620-147 record from 1948 to 1975, and 10 NCAA basketball championships in his final 12 seasons a coach, including a record seven in

a row from 1967 to 1973, with teams led by future Hall of Fame centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then Lew Alcindor, and Bill Walton, accounting for five of those titles.

Despite having just one returning starter from a team that finished third the previous season, UCLA won another title in 1975, in what Wooden called his most gratifying UCLA season.

The Bruins won 88 consecutive games from 1971 to 1974 and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament games from 1964 to 1974, both records.

The record Wooden said he was the most proud of was UCLA’s 19 conference championships.

Along with his coaching record, Wooden was known for the values he espoused, his integrity, which figured into his becoming UCLA’s coach, and his “Pyramid of Success.”

Wooden had three rules for his players — don’t use profanity, be on time and never criticize a teammate.

In 1948, Wooden was offered coaching positions by both UCLA and Minnesota. He was prepared to accept the offer from Minnesota, but a complication briefly

delayed the deal. When Minnesota did not call by a stipulated deadline, Wooden accepted UCLA’s offer.

A Minnesota official called minutes after the deadline, explaining that a snowstorm had caused him to be late calling because he could not get to a telephone and that the school still wanted to hire him. However, Wooden refused to break the promise he had made to UCLA minutes earlier.

Wooden began developing the “Pyramid of Success,” in the 1930s. He called it “the only truly original thing I have ever

done.”

At the base of the fivelevel pyramid are industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation and enthusiasm. The next levels up are self-control, alertness, initiative and intentness; condition, skill and team spirit; and poise and confidence.

At the pinnacle is competitive greatness, which he defined as performing at one’s best ability when one’s best is required, which, he said, was “each day.”

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in

Shootings

of Cudahy, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second boy — a 13-year-old — was taken in what was described as stable condition to a hospital.

The fourth shooting occurred about 2:40 a.m.

Monday in the 6300 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Huntington Park, near Gage Avenue, officials said. That man was not immediately identified, but Huntington Park Police

Department Chief Cosme Lozano said he was known to be a local homeless man who was “simply walking down the street.”

According to LASD’s Homicide Bureau Capt. Andrew Meyer, sheriff’s homicide investigators responded to all four shooting scenes, and surveillance video quickly determined that a Honda Pilot SUV was at each location around the

time of the attacks.

Sheriff’s officials circulated a law enforcement bulletin, and the vehicle was spotted and stopped the afternoon of Feb. 12 by San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies, and one suspect — believed to be Garcia — was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, Meyer said.

Investigators were then able to identify the second

suspect, who was arrested by a sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau team on the morning of Feb. 13 in Compton, according to Meyer.

Delerence was arrested on Feb. 15, sheriff’s officials said.

Meyer said investigators believe the suspects are gang members, but there was no immediate word on a motive for the killings.

knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable,” Wooden once said in explaining the pyramid.

Wooden also promoted his “12 Lessons in Leadership,” including Lesson 11 — “Don’t look at the scoreboard.”

Wooden would begin each season with a coaching session on dressing properly that included showing his players how to put on their shoes and socks the right way.

“This is a game played on your feet,” Wooden said. “If you get blisters, you can’t play the game.”

Wooden was born Oct. 14, 1910, in Hall, Indiana, moving with his family to a small farm in Centerton, Indiana, in 1918 and then to Martinsville, Indiana, when he was 14. He helped lead Martinsville High School to Indiana’s state championship finals three consecutive years and the state championship in 1927.

Wooden was a threetime All-American and helped lead the Purdue Boilermakers to two Big Ten championships and the 1932 national championship, which was then deter-

mined by polls. The NCAA did not begin conducting a men’s basketball championship until 1939.

Wooden began his coaching career in 1932 at Dayton High School in Kentucky, spending two years there, coaching a variety of sports. He spent the next nine years in Indiana at South Bend Central High School, coaching basketball, baseball and tennis and teaching English.

Wooden served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1943-46. He resumed his coaching career at Indiana State Teachers College, now Indiana State University, coaching basketball and baseball and serving as athletic director for two years

Wooden’s long list of honors includes the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, being named by ESPN as the greatest coach of the 20th century and having a post office and high school named for him in Reseda. He was the first person selected for the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.

Wooden died June 4, 2010, at age 99.

Hart school district votes to lay off teachers, staff members

By City News Service

The William S. Hart

Union High School District governing board has voted to lay off about 80 teachers and staff members and will begin sending out notices next week.

The Hart school district is facing a budget shortfall because of declining student enrollment and decided at its board meeting on

Wednesday to lay off more than 50 teachers and counselors and about 30 staff members.

An independent review of the district’s budget, shared at the meeting on Wednesday, shows a need to cut costs because of a decrease in state funding.

The board previously approved a fiscal stability plan in January to save

roughly $46 million over the next three and a half years to address the cuts in state funding. The board members approved layoff notices for district employees and they will be sent out by the end of next week. Those teachers with the least tenure will be the first ones of the list of layoffs. Board member Cherise Moore abstained from the

vote regarding classified employees and the other four members approved it. The board voted unanimously on layoffs for certified employees.

The board plans to lay off 50 teachers, six supports program specialists and seven counselors. Additionally, therapists, custodians, warehouse workers, administrative assistants and

groundskeepers will be part of the layoff plan.

The daily student attendance in the district has dropped to 19,613 in the 2023-24 school year in a report presented in December. It represents 94.82% of the district’s total enrollment. In 2020-21, the student attendance was 21,211 per day.

A large portion of the

district budget is tied to daily student attendance, which has steadily dropped in recent years. The projected daily student attendance is expected to continue to drop for the next two years at about 500 students per year. The district includes 16 high schools and junior highs in the Santa Clarita area.

| Image courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service

LA County District Attorney George Gascón, at podium, announces Feb. 15 the initial charges filed in the shooting spree case. | Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office

Following two hours of public comment, the Metro Board of Directors Thursday approved the environmental impact report for a hotly debated gondola project that would provide access to Dodger Stadium.

In an 11-0 vote, the Board of Directors certified the EIR, which represents a significant step toward fruition of the gondola, officially known as the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit Project. LA County Supervisor and Director Janice Hahn abstained from the vote.

Additionally, the board adopted a motion introduced by LA County Supervisor and Director Hilda Solis, establishing an inclusive community benefits agreement intended to address the concerns of impacted communities prior to any construction.

“For the project to win my vote, it needs transparency guarantees and addresses community priorities and concerns,” Solis said prior to the vote.

She added, “I’m happy for Union Station property to be leveraged to address public traffic concerns, but it should not be used to enrich private interests. What this provision does is ensure that the leveraging of public resources is used to address the region’s most pressing public need — and that is affordable housing.”

The project will require further consideration from the city of Los Angeles, Caltrans, the California State Department of Parks and Recreation and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health before it comes back to the transit agency at a future date for construction approval.

“Your motion mandates a robust plan to mitigate the project impacts while pushing for significant resources for the most at-risk young people in the surrounding community with care-based solutions that reduce recidivism,” Los Angeles Mayor and Board Chair Karen Bass said, who also co-authored Solis’ motion.

Several directors applauded Solis’ motion, which they said ensured safeguards to the community.

According to Solis, the agreement is enforceable and will place about 30 conditions on the project,

Metro board OKs environmental impact of proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project

By Jose Herrera, City News Service

and if those are not met, Metro will be able to revoke the use of Metro-owned property and permission.

Highlights of the agreement include calls for an ongoing Chinatown revitalization revolving loan fund to offer low- and no-interest loans, and forgivable loans to local small businesses, entrepreneurs and street vendors.

It also establishes requirements for tree replacement parking, local job creation, workforce development, sustainable and affordable housing.

In 2018, Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt proposed the $300 million private project, which would establish a 1.2-mile aerial gondola, connecting Union Station with Dodger Stadium.

Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies, a partnership formed by McCourt, funded EIR and preliminary design process. Last year, McCourt Global gifted the project to a new entity, known as Zero Emission Technologies. ZET would be responsible for building, financing and operating the gondola. .

The project would include a station at the southernmost entrance of Los Angeles State Historic Park, as well as pedestrian and landscape improvements. The project would run above Chinatown, Mission Junction, Elysian Park and Solano Canyon.

Metro formally concluded the proposal process and began exclusive negotiations with ART, and stepped up to be the lead agency overseeing California Environmental Quality Act requirements.

The transit agency is

required by the Public Utilities Code to review for approval all plans proposed for the design, construction, and implementation of public mass transit projects, regardless of whether Metro is the project sponsor.

The environmental impact report noted major construction noise and vibration would occur. Some cables and cabins would pass over private properties, sparking concerns over privacy. Traffic lanes would be closed during parts of the construction phase as well, which would require a detailed plan outlining street closures, lights and detours.

Metro has outlined possible mitigation efforts to address these issues, but acknowledged that impacts related to construction would remain “significant and unavoidable.”

The proposal has garnered significant pushback from some community members in neighborhoods surrounding the stadium, who contend it overlooks critical concerns regarding potential environmental and economic impacts. Some residents and other stakeholders formed the Stop the Gondola Coalition in opposition of the project.

“Today, the Metro board has failed our communities and effectively decided a billionaire’s private tourist attraction is more important than investing in what our communities truly need — real public transportation and protected green space,” Phyllis Ling, founder of Stop the Gondola Coalition, said in a statement issued Thursday afternoon.

Ling criticized the “last-minute” conditions proposed by Metro officials that do “nothing” to fix the EIR. She said that stakeholders will remain steadfast in their commitment to protect their communities.

“Our fight will go next to the LA City Council and the California State Parks and Recreation Commission, which we expect will show more responsibility than Metro for our communities and our state park,” Ling added.

Sarah Reyes, chief communications officer for The California Endowment, echoed Ling’s reaction.

Reyes added, “With more than 90 separate unaddressed issues that we, along with hundreds of community members, have highlighted in public comments and letters, the gondola project continues to pose a significant burden for the surrounding community in increased traffic, pollution, noise, trash and health burdens.”

Members of the coalition contend McCourt — who owns 50% of the parking lots at Dodger Stadium — has plans to use the lots for residential and retail use. It was reported in 2023 that McCourt submitted plans with the city of LA for apartments along Stadium Way.

On top of concerns about the environment, quality of life and gentrification, opponents say there is no guarantee taxpayers won’t be stuck with the bill for the project, which they say is closer to $500 million

limited,” removing about 608 cars.

City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, who represents the 1st District, which encompasses Chinatown and the area where the gondola would be set up, has come out against the project.

“I’m here to ask you to stand with community members and reject an unsolicited project that will require the time and resources of multiple agencies, not to mention public land and airspace in order to stand up for a forprofit, untested gondola that will not solve the problems that our community faces,” Hernandez told the directors.

for construction, and an annual $8 million to $10 million for maintenance and operations.

Supporters say the project could remove as many as 3,000 cars from neighborhood streets and the Harbor (110) Freeway before and after Dodgers games, leading to a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

“Frank McCourt has a long history of being solutions-oriented. He lived the Dodger traffic and understands the congestion and he believes that aerial transit is a proven technology that’s efficient and provides clean transportation,” LA ART spokeswoman Jennifer Rivera told the Los Angeles Times in 2022. “The route will not displace any residents and it runs mostly along public property and city streets.”

Metro is providing no money for the project and it is supposed to be privately funded.

ZET board representatives Suja Lowenthal and David Kim, a former Long Beach City Council member and the former head of CalSTA, respectively, said the project will be “invaluable” to the city and region for years and decades to come. They added, “We will do our best to meet this board’s expectations as the project moves forward.”

Two years ago, a report published by the UCLA Mobility Lab found the gondola would “reduce traffic on major roads around Dodger Stadium on the night of a sold-out game, but the impact would likely be very

She introduced a motion calling to suspend further actions by the city related to the gondola until a traffic study is conducted.

Her motion would instruct city departments to examine policies and procedures at other stadiums and high-capacity venues throughout the region, such as the Rose Bowl, Hollywood Bowl, SoFi Stadium, BMO Stadium and the Coliseum.

Following the vote, the Los Angeles Parks Alliance announced its intentions to file a lawsuit under CEQA and will ask the court to throw out the gondola is “fatally flawed” final EIR.

According to the organization, the lawsuit will focus on McCourt’s plans for the current Dodger Stadium parking lots. The alliance argues the EIR does not study the impacts, which undercuts the primary claimed benefit of reduction in traffic and greenhouse gases.

The lawsuit also criticizes the EIR for failing to recognize that this use of the land and airspace of Los Angeles State Historic Park, which they say is illegal.

“This project clearly violates CEQA, but more importantly is being forced on a neighborhood that has had to endure more than its share of projects that don’t benefit the community,” John Given, legal counsel to LAPA said in a statement. “I believe the courts will recognize what our elected representatives on Metro’s board have not, and correct this egregious abuse of discretion.”

An artist’s rendering shows a proposed Dodger Stadium gondola suspended above an LA street.

| Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit