No. 06-26
June 21, 2006
Los Angeles River in the News
Engineering Has a Key Role in Revitalization Efforts
On June 9, 2006, as part of National Rivers
Clean Up Week and the Mayor’s proclamation
of Los Angeles River Appreciation Day, Councilmember and Los Angeles River Ad Hoc
Committee Chairman Ed P. Reyes presented
the third annual Los Angeles River Awards
to recognize the people whose efforts are
helping to revitalize the Los Angeles River.
Awards were given in three categories: the
Public Employee/Group, the Community
Advocate/Group, and the Project/Event.
The award ceremony was held at the City
Hall rotunda, and awardees were then recognized in front of the City Council.
Among the recipients of the awards were
Bureau of Sanitation graphic designer Oscar
Amaro, for his design of the official Los Angeles River poster, the Los Angeles River City
Department Task Force led by City Engineer
Gary Lee Moore, and Nishith Dhandha,
Landscape Architectual Associate II of the
Architectural Division, who was the lead
designer of Crystal Park when he worked
with Northeast Trees.
The Los Angeles River Task Force, comprised of members from the Mayor’s office,
City Council offices, and various City departments, was honored for working closely
with each other, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and the County of Los Angeles
l to r: Cynthia Ruiz, Eric Garcetti, Rene Ellis,
and Mr. O’Farrell with new marker sign.
L.A. River Awards, l to r: Oscar Amaro, Nishith Dhandha, Ed Reyes, Tree People representative,
Joe Linton, Gary Lee Moore, Scott Wilson, Terri Grant, Larry (last name not available).
to facilitate the river’s rehabilitation.
Councilmember Reyes said, “The Los
Angeles River Task force, a group of what
some might call bureaucrats, who actually
have taken up the leadership role, are willing
to be at the cutting edge, willing to ask how
can we do this, let’s get to the ‘yes.’ I want
to thank Gary Moore for his outstanding
leadership in this effort. Without him, and
the support of all departments, our ability to
move policy, to look at different ways we can
clean the river by capturing contaminants
before they get to the ocean and create an
environment that will be healthy for our
grandchildren, would be impacted.”
Other recipients of the Los Angeles River
Awards include Tree People, a group of urban forestry advocates, who were recognized
under the Community Advocate/Group
category. In the Project/Event category, the
awardees were the 10th Anniversary of the
County’s Los Angeles River Master Plan;
the Red Car Mural at Atwater Village; the
Friends of the Los Angeles River; and the collaboration of the Department of Water and
Power, Northeast Trees and the Mountains
Recreation and Conservation Authority that
built Crystal Street Park
LA River Markers Celebrated
On June 15, 2006, Council President Eric Garcetti, together with Board of Public Works
President Cynthia Ruiz, LAPD Northeast
Area Commanding Officer Morris Smith and
neighborhood community groups, unveiled
the new mile markers along the Los Angeles River. The river markers feature a blue
heron and appear every tenth-mile between
Fletcher Boulevard and Los Feliz Boulevard.
They were initiated by a Garcetti-Reyes
Council motion.
This new signage will help facilitate
responses by the Los Angeles Police and
Fire Departments to emergency calls from
citizens along the Los Angeles River. Numbers have been stenciled along the river
maintenance road, on both sides about every
500 feet. These numbers actually create an
address system for the River’s edge, and
enables members of the public to give an
exact location to the LAPD and the LAFD
when they must make emergency calls for
assistance
In addition, the walk path signs are designed to permit rescue personnel to be able
to view the numbers with binoculars from
helicopters.
continued on page 5
Public Works Pioneers Toastmasters Club Elects New Officers
Congratulations to the newly elected officers
of the Public Works Pioneers! They are: Management Analyst II Ivan Gerson (President),
Management Analyst II Kari Iwai (VPEducation), Civil Engineering Associate II
Kola Ajibola (VP-Membership), Personnel
Analyst II Yvonne Liu (VP-Public Relations),
Mechanical Engineering Associate I Sharat
Batra (Secretary), Civil Engineering Associate IV Dominic Buenaventura (Treasurer),
and consultant Olga Morales (Sergeant-atArms). Except for Kari Iwai who is a Bureau
of Sanitation employee and Yvonne Liu of
Office of Finance, all new club officers are
BOE employees.
The Secretary and the Sergeant at Arms
are required to attend every meeting. Street
Lighting Engineering Associate II Tom
Nguyen and Street Lighting Engineer James
Quigley both from the Bureau of Street
Lighting are willing to lend a helping hand
as alternate Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms,
respectively. A good mix of seasoned and
new members, these club officers will serve
a six-month term from July to December
2006.
Special thanks to past Club President
Chelsea Li, Civil Engineering Associate III,
who led her team of officers through the
first half of 2006 with two speech contests,
namely the International Speech Contest
and the Evaluation Contest. Chelsea cheered
her members on through the critical move
that the club made from the Spring Street
Building to the Public Works Building. Her
enthusiasm for taking photos of her club
members has greatly advanced the club’s
visibility. Her team comprised Management
Analyst II Ivan Gerson (VP-Education), Civil
Engineering Associate II Patricia Konkirati (VP-Membership), Personnel Analyst
II Yvonne Liu (VP-Public Relations), Mechanical Engineering Associate I Sharat Batra
(Secretary), Civil Engineering Associate II
Jasmin Hafeez (Treasurer), and Civil Engineering Associate IV Dominic Buenaventura
(Sergeant-at-Arms).
Workplace Violence Prevention Training
This is a reminder for those employees who
have been scheduled to attend the makeup
sessions for the mandatory Workplace
Violence Prevention training, the training
classes will be held on Tuesday, June 27, 2006
and Wednesday, June 28, 2006 in the Board
of Public Works Hearing Room, City Hall
Room 350 and the Public Works Building
Sub-basement Conference Room 30. If there
are questions, please contact your division
training coordinator.
Page 2
From l to r, 1st row: Maria Martin, Kari Iwai, Chelsea Li, and Ivan Gerson. 2nd row: Tom Nguyen,
Ramnik Mungra, Jim Quigley, Sharat Batra, Dominic Buenaventura and Kola Ajibola.
During the big move from Spring Street
to Broadway, the club did not lose any
members, but instead, gained four new
members. They are: Civil Engineer PM I
Ramnik Mungra of the Street Program, Civil
Engineering Associate II Kola Ajibola of the
Wastewater Program, Civil Engineering Associate III Hassan Masoud of the Wastewater
Program, and Environmental Specialist II
Maria Martin of Environmental Management Group.
“Welcome to our new members and I
thank them for keeping our spirit high! They
bring us enthusiasm and energy, which is so
priceless,” Chelsea said.
It is important to note that Kola joined
the club about two months ago to improve
his public speaking ability. Already, he is
willing to devote himself as the club’s new
VP of Membership.
Kola said, “After I became a member, I
found out that membership at the club is not
only to improve on public speaking skills;
it is also a good avenue for the members to
minimize their nervousness in front of an
audience, improve their leadership skills,
and help people conduct good meetings.”
Indeed, Kola has spent two active months
with the Pioneer Toastmasters, having made
two speeches, participated in the meeting activities as the Grammarian, the Ah-Counter,
and the Evaluator at different meetings. His
confidence level has increased tremendously
in this short time, and he feels so much better
about himself.
“What a wonderful way to spend Wednesday lunch break!” Kola said.
Kola and Chelsea are active members
of the Public Works Pioneers Toastmasters
Club, which meets every Wednesday (12:05
pm to 12:50 pm) in the main 6th floor conference room. If you are curious about what is
a Grammarian, an Ah-Counter or an Evaluator, come visit us! Guests are always welcome, even if you can only stay 20 minutes.
You do not have to be a City employee to
join. For more information about the Toastmasters program and our local club, contact
Ivan Gerson at 6+485-1169 or Yvonne Liu at
6+978-1766.
Exams Open for Filing
Brown Bag Seminars
All current City employees may access the
City of Los Angeles Personnel Department
Examinations Currently Open for Filing, via
the intranet, at https://personline.lacity.org/
job_list/index.cfm?fuseaction=showall. You
are encouraged to routinely check for open
examinations as this site is updated every
Friday. Announcements of Civil Service examinations open for filing will not be made
with regularity in this newsletter. Links for
e-mail notification of an exam and the on-line
application are also provided at this site.
A report of all active eligible lists is available at http://per.ci.la.ca.us/exams/index.cfm.
The Personnel Department is hosting lunchtime seminars at City Hall South, Room 103,
11:30 am - 12:30 pm. No pre-registration is
required.
June 29 - Fire Safety (Fireworks) - Los Angeles Fire Department
Save Energy
The Department of General Services asks
that all City employees take personal responsibility for ensuring that lights and electrical
equipment are turned off when not in use.
Though these might sound like small things,
they do add up. If everyone does their share,
we all benefit.
Engineering Newsletter - 6/21/06
Last Set of ASRP Plans Signed
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore signed the
last set of plans for the Accelerated Sewer
Repair Program (ASRP) on Wednesday, June
16, 2006. At the signing ceremony, Gary was
joined by Tim Haug, Wastewater Program
Manager, and several members of the ASRP
design staff.
Gary congratulated staff on a job well
done, leading to the repair of about 360 miles
of sewers damaged during the January 17,
1994 Northridge Earthquake. Under a FEMA
(Federal Emergency Management Agency)
and State disaster grant, the City is receiving
reimbursements expected to exceed $200
million by its completion in 2008.
Tim Haug noted that the ASRP sewer
repairs are also helping to meet a provision in the Collection System Settlement
Agreement to renew an average of 60 miles
of sewers per year starting in fiscal year
2007/2008. The last of the ASRP repairs are
expected to renew about 60 miles of sewers
in 2007-2008.
Congratulations to ASRP Project Manager John Saldin and the ASRP team and
everyone else who helped make the program
a success.
Signing of last ASRP plan sets - Gary Lee Moore is joined by (left to right): Tim Haug, Jonathan
Cuevas, Mina Azarnia, Desmond Lew, John Saldin, Stella Wai, James Kho, Wallie Jong, Bob Folgate,
Vince Shavers, and Mohammad Seyedroudbari.
Roselake Emergency Sewer Repair Project
The Roselake Emergency Sewer Repair
Project began with a call from the Los
Angeles Unified School District regarding
sewer service at Loretto High School in the
Echo-MacArthur Park area. The school was
being rebuilt and the sewer was not working
properly. The school’s construction was on
a very tight schedule and the City was given
30 days to reestablish flow.
The Bureau’s Emergency Sewer Repair
Team was dispatched and began their investigation at once using closed circuit television. The CCTV camera revealed a most
unexpected situation: two sewer reaches,
adjacent and downstream from the school
had failed (with void) and collapsed. The
sewer was built in 1917 at an original depth
of 11 feet. Amazingly, over the years, buildings and streets were built over the old pipe
increasing the depth to between 40 feet to 50
feet. This extra weight crushed the pipe like
a soda can and caused it to fail.
The location of the damaged eight-inch
diameter sewer complicated the issue. It
runs under a bagel shop near the intersection
of Beverly Blvd. and Roselake Ave. Making
matters worse, the two closest maintenance
holes were underneath buildings and inaccessible to the repair team.
The Emergency Sewer Repair Team has
been working on this project since September 2005 and is making excellent progress.
Repairs for problems like this one have to be
designed in the field, where quick, creative
Engineering Newsletter - 6/21/06
solutions are the order of the day, according
to the Project Manager, Rafael Solorzano.
The first part of the repair was an interim
solution to get service to the school. The area
was first dewatered, as groundwater was
found at a depth of 25-35 feet. A bypass was
built to route the sewage around the crushed
pipe. Two shafts were dug over 40 feet deep
to the existing sewer in both Roselake Ave.
and Beverly Blvd. The bypass pipe was connected to the sewer at those points so that the
flow could be re-established. The shafts used
conventional steel beams and spiral shoring
reinforcements. Both shafts will become
new, permanent maintenance holes once the
repair is complete in August.
Pipe bursting was the selected method of
repair for this work because of the location
and condition of the old sewer. Construction began this April at the Roselake Ave.
shaft where a total of 48.5 feet of high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) was pushed
through the old pipe. A tunnel was hand dug
at this shaft for the pipe bursting operation.
A 70-foot tunnel from the Beverly Blvd. shaft
will soon be completed and HDPE pipe will
be placed in this tunnel as well. Tomovich
and Associates is the project contractor. Scott
McKeen and Clive Thomas are the lead inspectors. The construction cost is estimated
at $ 2.5 million.
The project team took special care to coordinate their activities with the neighborhood
and the area representatives. They contacted
local Council District Office 13 and informed
them of the situation. They also notified the
local businesses and worked out an alternative parking solution since street parking had
to be temporarily eliminated. The church
just across the street from some of the impacted businesses allowed their customers
to use the church’s parking lot.
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Page 3
Wastewater Program Promotes Three Employees
The Wastewater Program has recently promoted the following diverse and talented
people:
Patricia Konkirati
Patricia Konkirati has
been promoted to Civil
Engineering Associate
III in Wastewater Conveyance Construction
Division.
Patricia received her
Civil Engineering degree from California
State University, Los Angeles in 2001. While
attending college, she was a student intern
with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
in the Hydrology and Hydraulics Section
where she even learned how to use a slide
rule. During her first few years with the
City, she rotated through Major Sewers
Construction Group, West Los Angeles District, Environmental Engineering Division,
and Wastewater Conveyance Construction
Division. Patricia has been working in
the Wastewater Conveyance Construction
Division for 3 years on the construction of
the Eagle Rock Interceptor Sewer project.
She learned about various aspects of construction including coordination with the
Contractor, Inspectors, Sanitation, DOT and
other agencies. She also recently completed
the Bureau of Engineering Project Management training. Patricia hopes to improve her
public speaking ability by practicing with
the local Toastmasters Club.
Patricia is a native of Southern California.
She has lived in the City of Los Angeles for
over 25 years. She graduated from Taft High
School in Woodland Hills with Honors. Patricia has one brother, Paul Konkirati, who
works in the City’s Department of Transportation. Patricia recently moved to Torrance
to be closer to the beach where she spends
her leisure time playing volleyball, running,
and swimming. She completed an introductory sailing class last summer and is now
racing sail boats in Redondo Beach. She is
also active with the YMCA and American
Diabetes Association.
Jin Lee
Jin Lee has been promoted to a Civil Engineering Associate III in
Wastewater Conveyance
Engineering Division
and transferred from the
Stormwater Program.
Jin received her bachelor’s degree in Civil and
Environmental Engineering from UCLA in
2001. During college, she worked as an engineering intern for the City of Hawthorne
for four summers, where she developed an
interest in public works projects. She was
also active in UCLA’s ASCE Student Chapter
Page 4
as the Steel Bridge Team co-director during
her senior year.
Upon graduating, Jin started her career
in the City as a Civil Engineering Associate
I in the Bureau of Engineering. She went
through the Bureau’s Rotation Program,
completing the design, construction management, and administration phases of the
program in Street Improvement Group,
Bureau of Contract Administration, and
Stormwater Program, respectively, being
exposed to various aspects of public works
projects.
After completing the Rotation Program,
Jin returned to her home office, Street Improvement Group, and worked on design
and construction management of various
street improvement projects. Soon after
obtaining her State Professional Engineer
license, she decided to broaden her experience in civil engineering, and accepted a
promotion offer from Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division.
Jin enjoys playing the piano in her free
time. She has performed several times at
the holiday luncheons for Street and Stormwater Program and Structural Engineering
Division.
Jin is living with her parents and her
younger sister, who is also studying to be a
civil engineer. Jin got engaged earlier this
year, and she has been busy on weekends
planning for her big day, which is at the end
of this year.
Jonathan De Leon
Jonathan De Leon has
been promoted to Senior
Civil Engineering Drafting Technician in the
Wastewater Conveyance
Engineering Division
(WCED).
Jonathan De Leon
started his career at Montgomery Watson
Harza ( MWH ) as a draftsman in 1990. From
there, he became a Mapping Technician for
the Automated Mapping / Geographical
Information System ( AM / GIS ) group, a
Computer Aided Drafting Systems Specialist with the Pasadena Municipal Services
Department, and then an Assistant Engineer
for the Pasadena Client Services where he
has worked on various projects on water
and wastewater facilities, treatment plants,
3D modeling, and rendering. Tasks included
coordination, production, and system administration of all CAD tasks at MWH’s
Municipal Services Department, assisting
engineers and designers in developing
project site layouts of water and wastewater
facilities for proposals to final design, preparing projects in sewer system modeling
for master plans. He developed expertise in
digital mapping and developing color maps
and figures, often using advanced 2D/3D
CAD techniques.
In 2001, Jonathan began working for the
Bureau of Engineering as a Civil Engineering Drafting Technician with the Wastewater
Conveyance Engineering Division. He
performed drafting and computing operations involving a variety of engineering
drawings. and prepared plans, designs, &
details for wastewater projects & construction projects.
As for education, Jonathan studied at
Westech College, Pomona, where he earned
a Bentley Microstation 2D Certificate. He has
taken General Education courses at Pasadena
City College and several Civil Engineering
courses at Cal Poly, Pomona.
Jonathan thoroughly enjoys helping on
any CADD technical support on Microstation & any other software relating to CAD
and creating a 3D model and rendering the
images.
Jonathan and his wife Ralyn have a
daughter, Marie, who is 5 months old. Marie
keeps them busy. Everyday is a learning experience for raising a child. Jonathan likes
to play sports, like tennis, golf, racket ball,
fishing, or goes for strolls with Marie.
WCED Welcomes Four
New Employees
WCED has recently brought aboard the following talented and enthusiastic people:
Jonathan Cuevas
Jonathan Cuevas is a
Civil Engineering Associate III who has transferred to WCED from
ASRG.
Jonathan Cuevas has
been working for the
Bureau of Engineering
since graduating from
Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Civil
Engineering, Environmental Option, 13
years ago. It was a good meld with his
degree in Biology from UC Irvine 4 years
prior. His first stint was with WTED which
would later become EED for the first 6 years,
working on projects that dealt mainly with
the Headworks Building of three of the 4
treatment plants run by the City. For the last
7 years he has been working on the ASRP
program, becoming familiar with all aspects
of the program from design to construction
management to closeout.
After 8 years of formal education, he was
burned out of any formal schooling but that
didn’t stop him from taking classes in other
areas. He has many hobbies that take up his
free time with interests that change with the
wind. Recently he has been taking classes
in photography as well as metal welding
and that was after taking classes in cabinet
making. He could be found on a boat, deep
sea fishing or diving for lobster, or found on
the golf course or on the tennis courts. More
recently he can be found in the racquetball
Engineering Newsletter - 6/21/06
courts down at the gym of the new public
works building, that is after his knee heals
from a sprain acquired playing paintball.
He has slowed down in his activities now
that he and his wife’s only son, Joshua, just
turned 5. Children’s activities will take up
so much of his time, such as, baseball and
piano lessons, that he won’t have time for
his own activities. Oh well, it was fun while
it lasted.
Nelson Sarti
Nelson Sarti is a Sanitary
Engineering Associate
III who transferred to
WCED from the Bureau
of Sanitation.
Nelson graduated
in 1987 from California
State University at Pomona, majoring in Civil
Engineering. He started work for the City
of Los Angeles in 1988 as a Civil Engineering Assistant in the Bureau of Engineering’s
Hyperion Construction Division overseeing
construction work in the Hyperion Treatment Plant Expansion.
Nelson was promoted by the Bureau of
Sanitation in 1990 as a Sanitary Engineering
Associate assigned to the Bureau’s engineering support group for the Terminal Island
Treatment Plant, Los Angeles-Glendale
Treatment Plant, Tillman Treatment Plant
and sewer collection system.
His major accomplishments include Terminal Island Electrical Improvement Project,
Los Angeles-Glendale Sludge Collector
Replacement System, Tillman Plant Odor
Control Project, Tillman Plant Optimization
Projects, Capital Equipment Replacement
Program, Windward Stormwater Diversion Project, Stormwater Inflow/Infiltration
Phase 3 project and Granada Hills-Mission
Hills Primary Sewer Master Plan.
He has one child, a son, who is six years
old. His favorite hobby is golf.
Cristian Guerrero
Cristian Guerrero is new
to the City of LA as a Civil Engineering Associate
I working at WCED.
His educational background consists of a B.S.
degree from California
State University at Los
Angeles in 2003 in civil
engineering. He is also working towards a
Masters degree in civil engineering at the
same university and he has participated
in research projects there before beginning
work at the City of LA. His hobbies include
working on and restoring classic cars and
playing music. He currently lives at home
with his parents and younger sister. His
main achievement has been getting his college degree and beginning his career in the
engineering profession.
Engineering Newsletter - 6/21/06
Los Angeles River in the News - continued from page 1
This pilot project covers approximately
one and one half miles, from Fletcher Boulevard to Los Feliz, on both sides of the
River.
This new numbering system corresponds
with the one used by the County of Los
Angeles and the Army Corps of Engineers,
and will eventually start downstream at
Long Beach, and increase in numbers as it
travels upstream.
This signage program was developed
with the cooperation of the Bureau of Sanitation and the Bureau of Engineering, with input from the Los Angeles Police Department
and the County of Los Angeles Department
of Public Works. The Department of General
Services printed the stencils, the Bureau
of Street Services applied the signage and
the graffiti coating was applied by Graffiti
Control, through the Public Works Office of
Community Beautification.
Since this is a pilot project, the public is
asked to comment on this project and may do
so by logging on to the www.lariver.org web
site, or by attending one of the Los Angeles
Councilmember Ed Reyes speaking at the pre- River Ad Hoc Committee meetings.
sentation of the Los Angeles River Awards at
The numbering system has been put
City Council .
onto the City’s NavigateLA website and the
police department’s 911 wireless mapping
system. It will also be put onto the LAFD’s
Swiftwater Rescue Maps. The pilot project’s
success will be monitored by the Northeast
Division of the LAPD.
LA River Revitalization
Master Plan
Closer view of the LA River marker.
Sayed Shah
Sayed Shah, new to the
City, is a Civil Engineering Associate I at WCED.
Sayed has earned a Bachelor of Science Degree
from the University of
Engineering and Technology in Peshawar,
Pakistan. He has also completed a Master
of Science Degree from Lahore University
of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore,
Pakistan. He is currently pursuing another
Masters Degree from Cal State Los Angeles.
Before joining the City, Sayed worked as a
Project Engineer for a dynamic civil engineering company in Los Angeles where he
was responsible for design and development
of civil project plans, site hydrology studies
and sewer design reports. Sayed was born
in Peshawar, Pakistan, but currently lives in
Granada Hills along with his wife and a two
year old daughter. His hobbies include reading and contributing to financial blogs.
Planning for the revitalization of the 32
miles of the Los Angeles River within the
City of Los Angeles is an 18 month process
that is being managed by Ara Kasparian,
Environmental Group. It is now reached the
half-way point.
Through a series of public meetings, communities got to weigh in on what their priorities would be for revitalizing the River and
what sites would be best to carry forward.
Opportunity Sites, or the areas adjacent
to the River that would best enhance water,
create natural habitats, create recreational
spaces, provide economic development opportunities, or a combination of these types
of river related improvements, are being
analyzed. The next series of public meetings will be:
Saturday, June 24, 2006, 10:00 am - 12:30
pm, Goodwill Workforce Center, 342 N. San
Fernando Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90031.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006, 6:00 pm - 8:30
pm, Oakwood School, 11600 Magnolia Blvd.,
North Hollywood, 91601.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006, 6:00 pm - 8:30
pm, Evergreen Recreation Center, 2844 E.
2nd St., Los Angeles, 90033.
After the June workshops, there will be
three more sets of workshops in September,
November and January.
Page 5
New Special Orders
SO No. 003-0606
Special Order No. 003-0606 dated June 8,
2006 titled “Trap Sewer Maintenance Holes
and Trap House Connection Sewers” is intended to clarify and elaborate on existing
policy and direction for the use of trap sewer
maintenance holes per Sewer Design Manual
sections F449, F449.1 and F449.2, and per
Standard Plans S-139 and S-149. This Special
Order will also provide guidance for the appropriate use of trap house connection sewers in accordance with Sewer Design Manual
section F487 and Standard Plan S-112.
For the purposes of this Special Order,
“venting sewers” shall be defined as any
primary sewer identified by the Bureau of
Sanitation as containing positive air pressure, where that positive pressure is released
through openings in the sewer system (i.e.
through maintenance hole lid openings,
house connections, etc.) and where the escaped gases have the potential to cause an
odor nuisance.
Trap Sewer Maintenance Holes
Henceforth, Project Managers, Project Engineers and Designers shall provide for the
installation of trap sewer maintenance holes
(in accordance with applicable Standard
Plans) on any improvement plans:
1. Whenever a new sewer 18 inches in diameter or less is proposed to discharge
directly to an existing outlet/interceptor
sewer; and/or
2. Whenever a new sewer is proposed for
connection into the existing sewer system
within a geographical area known to
contain venting sewers; and/or
3. Whenever good engineering judgment
dictates the need to control the potential
for sewer odors/gases from migrating
into a proposed new sewer.
Trap sewer maintenance holes shall be the
most downstream maintenance hole on the
proposed sewer, just upstream of the existing larger sewer and/or the existing venting
sewer(s). Further, every effort shall be made
to assure that the trap sewer maintenance
hole is located in such a manner that no
house connections connect into the proposed
sewer downstream of the trap sewer maintenance hole.
Trap House Connection Sewers
Whenever possible, connection of house
connections directly to existing outlet/interceptor, and/or venting sewers should
be avoided. Rather than connecting house
connections directly to such sewers, it is
always preferable to construct a separate
local sewer to capture house connections
and then connect the local sewer to the larger
outlet/interceptor, or venting sewer through
the use of a trap sewer maintenance hole.
In the event that there are no alternatives to
connecting a house connection(s) directly
into such larger sewers, the requirements
Page 6
below for the installation of trap house connection sewers shall be followed.
A trap sewer house connection (per
Standard Plan S-112) shall be required for
installation whenever a house connection is
proposed for connection directly into:
1. An existing outlet/interceptor sewer;
and/or
2. Any existing venting sewer; and/or
3. An existing sewer downstream of an
existing trap sewer maintenance hole
where no other odor protection exists.
Bureau of Sanitation, Wastewater Collection Systems Division, personnel should
be contacted to help determine locations of
known venting sewers. In addition to the requirements of this Special Order, trap sewer
maintenance holes and trap sewer house
connections shall be installed whenever
required by explicit written direction by the
Bureau of Sanitation.
SO No. 004-0606
Special Order No. 004-0606 dated June 14,
2006, “Board of Public Works Approval of
Street Tree Removals Related to City Planning Case Discretionary Actions” states
that effective immediately, District Office
staff shall note in their investigation reports
related to City Planning Discretionary Actions, whether or not there are trees in the
existing or proposed right -of-way that may
require removal due to the recommended
improvements, such as road widenings.
If there are tree removals, Land Development Group (LDG) staff shall also include a
special condition of approval in their report
to the Department of City Planning (Planning), stating that Board of Public Works
(Board) approval of the tree removals shall
be obtained prior to the recordation of the
related Final Parcel or Tract Map, or prior to
the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy
for the development project of the related
Planning cases.
Background
The Bureau of Engineering (BOE) recommends conditions for Discretionary Actions,
such as City Planning Cases (CPC), Zoning
Administrator (ZA), and Planning Actions,
some of these involve filing of a Tract or
Parcel Map. Conditions typically include
such items as dedication, street widening,
etc., which require removal of trees. Board
approval is required for removal of street
trees. When approval for the removal of
these trees is not requested early in the
process, this can impact projects, such as
street widenings. With the current process,
Board approval is typically not requested
until immediately before the trees are to be
removed; so in cases where the Board denies
the tree removal, construction of the public
improvement is halted. The intent of this
Special Order is to identify those projects
where the existence of street trees might halt
the construction of public improvements,
such as street widenings, and to provide for
early public notification and early Board
consideration of the approval or denial of
the removal of street trees.
The Board’s policy on tree removals is
to preserve as many desirable, mature trees
as possible. This occasionally conflicts with
the need for public improvements necessary to accommodate traffic generated by
private development. Instances have occurred where developers have submitted
an application to develop a property, and
were told what public improvements were
required. The developer then created Bpermit plans, the BOE approved the plans
and issued a B-Permit, and the project was
ready for construction. Subsequently, the
Bureau of Street Services, Urban Forestry
Division posted notices on the trees needed
to be removed, and set a public hearing at
the Board for approval of the tree removals.
At the conclusion of this lengthy process,
the Board denied the request to remove the
trees, thereby halting construction. Decisions
then had to be made on how to revise the
dedication and improvement requirements
and request a condition modification from
Planning. The applicant then had to submit
and obtain approval of revised B-permit
plans. The current process described above,
can create a hardship for the applicant in
both cost and time delays at the final stage
of development projects. The intent of this
Special Order is to improve the process, so
the BOE can anticipate projects where street
trees might halt the construction of public
improvements, and avoid late denials of
street tree removals.
Policy
District Office staff shall note whether or not
there are trees in the existing or proposed
right-of-way that may require removal due
to the recommended improvements, such
as roadway widenings, in the investigation
report to the LDG.
LDG staff shall request that Planning
include notification of pending public works
improvements, including tree removals, in
the Planning Hearing, (which is a public
hearing where neighbors within a certain
radius are notified), and that the notification
state that removals of street trees will be part
of the development. If the neighbors are notified of the tree removals before the Planning
hearing, then for the later Board approval of
the street tree removals, the Board Report
shall state that the public had an additional
opportunity to address the street tree removal issue at the Planning Hearing.
For Discretionary Actions that involve
recordation of a Final Parcel Map, or Tract
Map, Board approval shall be a condition to
be satisfied prior to recordation of the map.
LDG staff shall include the following special
condition of approval to tentative tract and
parcel map approvals, when a tree removal
Engineering Newsletter - 6/21/06
Special Orders - continued from page 6
will be required:
“Trees: Board of Public Works approval
shall be obtained, prior to the recordation
of the final (tract) (parcel) map, for the removal of any tree in the existing or proposed
public right-of-way area associated with the
improvement requirements outlined herein.
The Bureau of Street Services, Urban Forestry
Division, is the lead agency for obtaining
Board of Public Works approval for removal
of such trees.”
For Discretionary Actions that involve
development projects related to Planning
cases such as CPC or ZA cases, Board approval shall be a condition to be satisfied
prior to the issuance of the Certificate of
Occupancy for the development project.
LDG staff shall include the following special
condition of approval in the recommendation report to Planning, when a tree removal
will be required:
“Trees: Board of Public Works approval
shall be obtained, prior to the issuance of the
Certificate of Occupancy of the development
project, for the removal of any tree in the
existing or proposed public right of way area
associated with the improvement requirements outlined herein. The Bureau of Street
Services, Urban Forestry Division, is the lead
agency for obtaining Board of Public Works
approval for removal of such trees.”
If the Board does not support the tree
removal, the Board can consider the consequences of allowing the development
without the infrastructure. In the event the
Board denies the request to remove the trees,
the applicant can, based on the action of the
Board, ask Planning to delete the street widening condition; and the BOE would then
determine how to proceed in these cases. In
such instances, BOE staff shall consider other
street improvement options which do not
require removing the trees, such as a modified widening, repairing and replacing any
broken curb, gutter, sidewalk and roadway.
If no satisfactory options exist, Engineering
shall either recommend deferral of the street
widening by requiring the applicant to post
a non-refundable cash bond, or recommend
that Planning officially delete the street widening condition.
CMAA Seminar
The Southern California Chapter of the
Construction Management Association of
America (CMAA) is holding the following
seminars at The Grand, 4101 E. Willow St.,
Long Beach. Cost is $55 for CMAA members
and $85 for non-members. For more information go to www.cmaasc.org.
“The Construction Manager’s Role in Design-Build”, 8:00 am - 10:30 am, Thursday,
June 29, 2006.
Engineering Newsletter - 6/21/06
Safety Video Library
The Bureau wants to promote safety awareness through our new Safety Video Library.
The library is located in the Admin Training Section, 7th floor PWB. A list of titles,
video description and check-out procedures
are located on the Bureau’s Intranet under
Safety Concerns. These videos are an excellent tool for Managers and Supervisor to
conduct staff-safety meetings. The videos
are generally less than 30 minutes long. Selected safety subjects may require additional
employee training such as Confined Spaces
and Respiratory Protection. After the video
presentation, Bureau employees should have
a general understanding of various safety
subjects as contained in our video library
collection.
For video availability, contact the Training
Section’s Ron Daigle, ron.daigle@lacity.org or
Sheryl Moore, sheryl.moore@lacity.org. For
all content questions, contact Calvin Toy,
calvin.toy@lacity.org. Training documentation
must be submitted to the training section for
record keeping.
CMAA Seminar
The Southern California Chapter of the
Construction Management Association of
America is holding a seminar: Contracts The Good, The Bad & The Ugly on Thursday,
July 20, 2006, from 8:00 am to 10:30 am, at
The Grand, Long Beach. This presentation
will cover those provisions in construction
contracts that allocate risks in a peculiar
manner. These are clauses that shift risk and
must be carefully considered by all parties
(owner, contractor, construction manager,
subcontractors and others). For example, the
following clauses will be addressed:
No Damage for Delay Clause
Exculpatory Clauses Relating to Changed
Conditions
Contractor’s Review of Documents and Field
Conditions
Design Responsibility Delegation
Mutual Waiver of Consequential
Clauses that Attempt to Make the Contactor
the “Guarantors” of the Plans
Change Order “Waivers” of Impact Claims
and “Reservation of Rights” in Response
Thereto
Termination Clauses
Obligation to Continue Work Clauses (The
Annihilation Clause)
The Incorporation by Reference Clause in
Subcontracts
The “Pay-if-Paid” Clause: Is It Enforceable?
Where Do We Go From Here?
Owner’s Security for Payment on Private
Works: New Civil Code §3260.2
Cost is $55 for CMAA members and $85
for non-members. Flier and registration
form available at www.cmaasc.org - Event
Calendar.
Confined Space Training
Year after year, hundreds of employees’
nationwide are injured or die from confined
space operations. Beginning in July 2006, the
Bureau is planning two series of Confined
Space classes to assist Bureau employees in
there job functions.
Confined Space Awareness is a 4-hour
class, designed to instruct employees how to
recognize confined space conditions and potential hazards associated with unauthorized
entry. This class is recommended for all field
oriented employees who may enter locations
such as pipes, tanks, vessels, silos, storage
bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits or spaces that
may have limited means of entry.
Confined Space Entry Procedures is an
8-hour class, designed to instruct employees
who enter confined spaces; proper set-up,
safe entry and continuous monitoring procedures. This class is required for all employees
who enter confined spaces.
Managers and Supervisor must determine if employees “may enter” or “will
enter” a confined space and submit a 4-hour
and 8-hour list of nominees for Confined
Space training. List of nominees need to be
submitted to Calvin Toy at calvin.toy@lacity.
org by June 30, 2006. Spaces are limited.
Cal-OSHA Construction
Safety Training
The Bureau will be hosting a 10-hour CalOSHA Construction Safety Training and
Certification course for selected Group
Managers and Supervisor to enhance the
Bureau knowledge in Construction Safety.
This course is designed for managers and
supervisors who supervise employees in
construction or similar operations. This
course will provide key basics in construction standards and regulations in areas such
as: Cal-OSHA/City’s role and responsibility,
Fire Protection/Prevention, Electrical Safety
(Lockout Tagout), Excavation and Trench
Safety, Fall Protection, Hazard Communication, Scaffold Safety, Personal Protective
Equipment, Ladder/Stair Safety, Confined
Spaces, Hand and Power Tool Safety. Upon
completion, qualified participants will
receive a certificate in Construction Safety
Training.
Division Managers are asked to prioritize
their list of nominees and submit it to Ron
Daigle, Training Section, Administrative
Services, by Friday, June 30, 2006. Class
size is limited. The initial training proposal
is 11 classes with a maximum of 25 students
per class. Classes are scheduled to begin
late July 2006 and run throughout the fiscal
year. Contact Calvin Toy if you have further
questions at calvin.toy@lacity.org.
Page 7
Transfer Opportunities
The following transfer opportunities are
available. If you are interested, contact the
office below by Tuesday, June 27, 2006:
Civil Engineer Associate II
EED - Ivy Cook
(310) 648-6123
Electrical Engineering Associate II
Arch - Mark Nakata
6+485-4385
Electrical Engineering Associate IV
Arch - Mark Nakata
6+ 485-4385
Management Analyst II
Arch - Mark Nakata
6+485-4385
Mechanical Engineering Assoc. II
Arch - Mark Nakata
6+ 485-4385
Sanitary Engineer Associate II
EED - Ivy Cook
(310) 648-6123
Arrivals
Carlos Villegas, Management Assistant,
PAC; Myrna Braithwaite, Secretary, Admin;
Victoria Anaya, Management Assistant,
Admin; Art Castro, CE Associate II, Valley;
Vincent Ortega, Office Eng Technician II,
WLA.
Promotions
Feliciano Reyes, Office Eng.Technician III,
PAC; Susan Seminerio, Survey Party Chief
II, Survey; Theresa Strazzella, Survey Party
Chief II, Survey.
Departures
Kandace Baptiste, Secretary, resigned, Admin; Thomas Blankenship, Civil Eng Associate II, EED transfer to Airports; Alexander
Santos, CE Drafting Tech, transfer to DWP,
SID; Zethel Meyers, Trans. Coordinator,
retired, Real Estate: Farhad Mousavipour,
Senior Civil Engineer, resigned, WLA.
FS 5 Grand Opening
Everyone’s invited to come to the grand
opening of Fire Station 5, 8900 Emerson
Ave., Westchester, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
on Saturday, June 24, 2006. The fire station
grand openings have been very popular
events with the community. You have the
opportunity to take tours through the new
facility, talk to the firefighters, maybe try
some firehouse chili and visit informational
booths.
In the News
The June 2006 issue of California Construction features the top 250 projects in the State
that broke ground in 2005. The list covers
both public and private projects ranging
the gamut of highrise condo towers, airport
terminals, aqueduct pipeline, highway
widening, hospitals and cathedrals. Four of
BOE’s projects made the list:
37. Emergency Operations Center/POC/
Fire Dispatch
$71.8 M
185. 20th Area Police Station
$29.7 M
191. Rampart Area Police Station $28.7 M
213. Battery B Modifications, Hyperion Treatment Plant
$25.3 M
Commuter Expess
Volunteers Wanted
Do you ride LADOT’s Commuter Express
Bus Service? If so, the City of Los Angeles
Department of Transportation (LADOT)
would like to enlist your assistance to help
us improve the quality of their bus services
by becoming a Volunteer. Volunteers will
help the Department to improve service
quality through the reporting of first hand
observations and recommendations. This is
a six-month trial demonstration program
open to City employees only. If the program
is successful, it will be expanded to members of the general public who ride LADOT
services.
Volunteers must be regular Commuter
Express bus riders and be willing to fill out
questionnaires concerning on-time performance and other service quality factors. Volunteers will also be asked to attend an initial
orientation meeting as well as a coordination
meeting each quarter. Your participation will
be anonymous to everyone other than those
at LADOT involved in the administration
of the program. As a token of appreciation,
volunteers will receive 2 free movie passes
(or gift of comparable value) each month
during the time they are active participants
in the Volunteer program.
Please indicate your willingness to participate in the program by sending the information below and forwarding it to James
Lefton (either through inter-office mail or
e-mail) at the following address:
James Lefton
Chief of Transit
LADOT Transit Bureau
100 South Main, 10th Floor,
Mail Stop #725
Los Angeles, CA 90012
e-mail: jlefton@dot.lacity.org
Please complete the following information.
You will be contacted by the Department as
to the status of your application.
• Name
• Address
• Work Phone
• Work e-mail
• City Department you work for:
• Commuter Express Route you regularly
ride
• Number of days you ride Commuter
Express each week
• Number of years you have ridden Commuter Express
APWA Membership
The American Public Works Association is
offering a $50 one-year Individual membership to industry professionals who have
never been an APWA national association
member. That’s a $76 savings. OR double
the savings with a two-year membership for
$100. For complete details and to download
an application, go to www.apwa.net. This limited time offer expires October 1, 2006.
July 4th Day Holiday
Tuesday, July 4, 2006, is a City holiday.
Remember to mark your timesheet for that
day as HO 8.0. Since the holiday is only for
eight hours, those of you on the 9/80 or 4/10
schedule must adjust your hours accordingly
within the same pay period. (Non-FLSA exempt employees can only adjust their hours
within their defined work week.) Check
with your division timekeeper if you have
any questions.
Contract Admin Moves
The Bureau of Contract Administration is
scheduled to begin moving into the Public
Works Building this weekend. They will be
moving from the 221 N. Figueroa and the 600
S. Spring St. buildings to the 3rd floor of the
PWB. Please be aware that all staff moving to
the PWB will have new phone numbers.
HS Contest Mentors to be
Honored
The Board of Public Works, is holding a
recognition ceremony on Wednesday, June
28, 2006 at 9:30 am at City Hall, Room 350, to
honor those who helped bring the Bureau of
Engineering’s high school technical competition contests to life this year.
D-Line DASH Change
As of this week, the D-Line DASH has
changed its route, going north on Main
St. instead of Spring St. The southbound
DASH will still travel on Spring St. and is
unchanged.
Engineering Vision
We envision the Bureau of
Engineering as a competitive,
world class, public service
organization dedicated to
delivering projects, programs, and
services for Los Angeles in a timely
and cost effective manner which
establishes us as the provider of
choice to our customers.
We’d Like to Hear from You
If you have any articles for the Newsletter,
please e-mail them to Winifred Harano
(winnie.harano@lacity.org) and Myrna Braithwaite (myrna.braithwaite@lacity..org) Administrative Services Division, Stop 311 or Fax
to 6+485-4965 (x54965). The deadline for the
next issue is Thursday, June 29, 2006.
Los Angeles City Department of Public Works
Bureau of Engineering
1149 South Broadway, Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90015
http://eng.lacity.org
The Engineering Newsletter is published biweekly by
the Administrative Services Division for employees of
the Bureau of Engineering.
Printed on Recycled Paper