While there was a certain stiffness in the presentations by members of the city staff, and hesitancy on the part of students asking questions, by the end of the three hours things had thawed considerably. It is hoped that the easier, more comfortable atmosphere at the end of the meeting of Jan. 12 can be carried over to the next forum scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 2, at 9 a.m. at the Community Center.
The city staff can only benefit by being highlighted at forums of this kind which offer an opportunity to meet a large segment of the public that do not attend City Council and Planning Commission meetings, but still would like to know more about how the city works and the departmental functions.
Downey Unified School District Superintendent Edward Sussman, who attended the first forum, said he was proud of the caliber of the questions the students both on the formal student panel and in the audience asked.
Part of the credit must go to Councilman Kirk Cartozian, who is also a teacher of government at Downey High School. He was much in evidence at the forum, troubleshooting and making sure the youngsters knew it was all right to ask about things they wanted to know about how things work.
The League of Women Voters of Downey deserve a vote of thanks for suggesting these forums. And the City Council and City Manager Gerald Caton deserve applause for accepting the idea.
The more the community can breach the natural barriers between the public and city hall, the easier it will be in future years to avoid those spells of aphasia that have plagued us in the past.
Our system of government is dependent on an informed public capable of making decisions.
It used to be called participatory democracy. And it still works if we just extend the effort to find it and keep it alive through such events as the forums at the Community Center.
The people out there buying cars are asking for more car; bigger, higher off the road, more inside space, and more gadgets. Rear seat video screens, while small, are readily available and in some cases factory installed. They play TV, DVDs and games. There is an increasing need for multiple 12 volt power outlets to run computers and other things. Buyers want cars that are heavier, with more metal out front in the belief they will be safer in case of an accident. A number of people I have talked with tell me they drive SUVs because of safety concerns and they don't really care what kind of gasoline mileage it gets. I suppose under the logic that when you spend $40,000 for a car, the cost of gasoline loses some importance. And, of course, in case of an accident, mass wins every time.
On the other hand we have a smaller group of people who insist cars are polluting the world and we need to do away with the internal combustion engine. They want us to embrace a new technology that is, in fact, really not perfected yet. And so the battle is joined. It is not just that the environmentalists want to lower the pollutants to some arbitrary fixed level; it is they want no pollutants. Even though today's car exhaust is so clean it is hard to find any of the particles that you at one time could see hanging in the air, they want it all gone, regardless of the cost.
The Clinton administration supported cars with high mileage combinations of electric and gas. This was done with the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, small but useable cars-but they are not zero emission. This got trashed last week with the Bush administration's announcement that the new goal was zero emissions with hydrogen-fed fuel cells. Most of the manufacturers have done a lot of work on this. Honda had a prototype at the Auto Show and Ford and Mercedes also have operating models (although not at the show). The fuel cell itself has been highly perfected for about 30 years. It works just fine on the earth and on the moon.
Let's look at what is really going on here. First of all, a fuel cell car is actually an electric car with an electric motor turning the wheels. The purpose of the fuel cell is to make electricity to run the electric motor. A fuel cell runs on hydrogen which is either pure or extracted from some hydrocarbon, such as compressed natural gas, propane or gasoline, each with their own level of remaining contaminants. To use gasoline is to have a miniature "cracking tower" called a "reformer" in the car just to get the hydrogen out of the gasoline. And with that package comes pollutants in waste products from the gasoline processing. This is the process that is not perfected. Remember, at no time is a gasoline internal combustion engine on board. The gasoline is used just to extract hydrogen for the fuel cell.
If you can get past the increased vehicle price tag of at least $5,000 there is the cost of building a refueling infrastructure-at least 15,000 refueling stations across the nation. This would be much the same way propane is handled now. The projected time line on this is 10 to 15 years.
However, there is another side to this that is rarely mentioned. It is safety. Hydrogen is very combustible. The rigid airship Hindenberg is an example of how well hydrogen burns out of its container. It also should be remembered that hydrogen is what fuels our rocket ships to outer space. The point is that hydrogen is very dangerous stuff and must be handled carefully by experienced people. There will be no self-serve lanes.
Then there is the matter of insurance. The cost of insurance is one reason we don't have more propane available at gas stations in urban areas. By comparison hydrogen makes propane look safe. It is one thing to spill a little gasoline on the ground; have a hydrogen spill when someone walks by with a cigarette and you both will be toast. Literally.
Another problem is the fuel tanks. The closest comparison is propane, stored in on-board steel tanks as widely used in RV applications. With hydrogen the steel tanks are too heavy for passenger car use. A company in Orange County has developed a fiberglass tank that tests several times over on pressure; but, the concern is in an accident. A fiberglass tank could be punctured by bending metal and then both cars and occupants could end up in the next township. Think what that kind of insurance is going to cost.
I suspect you'll be using your same old gasoline internal combustion engine powered car for a long time.
Since entering Congress, completion of this project has been one of my highest priorities. I am pleased that Congress appropriated $157 million during the past seven years for this work to be completed five years ahead of schedule. The bipartisan commitment to this project by area members of Congress and the hard work and extraordinary cooperation between the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and the Los Angeles County Public Works Department ensured that construction of LACDA proceeded on an efficient and rapid timetable.
Completion of the LACDA project-which began in 1996-restores flood protection to nearly 500,000 people living in the flood plains of the Los Angeles and Rio Hondo rivers. Due to the danger of severe flooding, in 1998 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mandated that area residents and businesses carry flood insurance at an average cost of $400 per year. Now that the requirement has been lifted, the County of Los Angeles estimates that property owners will save a collective $22 million in annual insurance premiums. In addition, property owners may qualify for a refund for one year's premium through their lender and request that flood insurance be removed from their policy.
To determine if your property has been removed from the flood hazard zone, contact your city and request a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR). It is important to point out that some properties in Long Beach that were already designated as flood risks prior to 1998 for reasons other than the threat from the Los Angeles River will still be required to carry flood insurance. So it is important to confirm that your property has been removed from the flood zone. Once you have done this, send the LOMR to your lender along with a written request for a letter stating that flood insurance is no longer required. Once you obtain the letter from your lender, provide your insurance agent with a copy and ask the agent to cancel the policy and provide you with a refund. Should your lender or insurance agent have specific questions about flood insurance cancellation and refund procedures, they may call (916) 780-7889.
For more details and guidance on this process, contact your local city officials at the following numbers.
* Long Beach (562) 570-6784 or visit www.ci.long-beach.ca.us/community/howtocancel.htm
* Downey (562) 904-7113
* Lakewood (562) 866-9771, ext. 3566
* Paramount (562) 220-2020
* Bellflower (562) 804-1424, ext. 2248
I have also encouraged residents to attend one of the many public meetings that will be held in the coming weeks to find out more about obtaining a refund.
The successful completion of this project has been a model for any major public works project. The federal, state, and local agencies involved should be proud of a job well done. Along with flood protection, residents also will enjoy a cleaner, safer environment and more recreational opportunities. As part of the LACDA project, 22 miles of bike and equestrian trails along the Los Angeles River have been improved and enhanced with landscaping, rest stops, and safer signage.
For additional information visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency/National Flood Insurance Program website at www.fema.gov/nfip or call (800) 427-4661; or visit the Los Angeles Department of Public Works website at http//ladpw.org/wmd/watershed/LA/LACDA Drainage.cfm or call (626) 458-4325.
** GRIPING OVER NO-GUNS LAW-More than 41,000 residents of Utah are licensed to carry concealed weapons, and their opposition to legislation that require them to leave their guns at home when attending Olympic Games events in and around Salt Lake City starting next week has resulted in much griping and groaning.... The law in question was passed in 1999, but it has been toughened up considerably as a result of the 9/11/2001 terrorists attacks in NYC and DC.... Makes sense to me.
** GOOD FOR ANY CITY-The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission proposal that's been kicking around the City Council for some time might be worth other area governments, big and little, giving serious consideration to.... We're glad to credit the L.A. Times newspaper with being instrumental in stirring commission interest with a feature story indicating two-thirds of L.A. council members used political consultants who also lobbied support for their clients.... Some widespread good can definitely come of this, in and outside of California.
** EQUAL SUFFERING, UNEQUAL ASSISTANCE?-Some family members of the 168 people killed by the April 1995 domestic terrorist bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City are wondering aloud about the average $1.67 million apiece federal assistance (or federal-directed assistance) paid to families of those killed by the kamikaze terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.... Those killed in Oklahoma City were mostly federal employees, and death benefits paid to their survivors were based on employees insurance coverage, much less than survivors of the 9/11/01 victims got....
** 'POTTER' SPARKS BOOK BURNING-A church founder in Alamo-gordo, a town of some 36,000 people in south-central New Mexico, calls the Harry Potter books "a masterpiece of satanic deception.... (that) teach children how they can get into witchcraft...." So Jack Brock staged a WWII Nazi-style book burning session, where demonstrations by those opposed to such extreme censorship didn't upset him in the least.... Indeed, he promises more of the same, revels in the attention, and claims, "Because of this (media coverage), I've been able to preach the gospel around the world." Jerry Falwell, beware?
** 'NATIONAL SECURITY' OR IRRATIONAL RESPONSE'?- Supporters of oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain say it's needed for "national security," while opponents claim otherwise.... "Polls continue to show that the American people don't see that as a rational response," says Linda Lance, the Wilderness Society's vice president for public policy.... "Drilling in the Arctic Refuge would satisfy less than two percent of the nation's oil needs, based on federal studies, and that oil would not come on line for ten years," Lance notes.
AS TIME GOES BY
"Remember, dear, those bygone years
Of candlelight and wine?
So how come you are middle-aged
And I'm just twenty-nine?"
- From columnist Matt Weinstock