- Bureau of Engineering

No. 08-21
April 9, 2008
Vahik Vartanians Receives 2008 Rory M. Shaw
Outstanding Employee Award
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore presented
the 2008 Rory M. Shaw Outstanding Employee
Award to Vahik Vartanians, Civil Engineer/
Project Manager I, Street Improvement
Group, at the Board of Public Works meeting
on March 26, 2008. Vahik’s wife Alice, son
Andre, 10, and daughter Christine, 8, and
many friends and co-workers were there to
see him receive this prestigious award.
The City Engineer spoke of how the
memory of Rory Shaw continues to inspire
the Bureau and introduced Rory’s mother
Shirley Shaw who attended the ceremony
to honor this year’s recipient of the award
named for her son.
This is the wording from the commemorative plaque on display in the Bureau of
Engineering Executive offices in the Public
Works Building:
Rory M. Shaw
Outstanding Employee Award
“Going Beyond Expectations”
This award is given in memory of Bureau of
Engineering employee Rory M. Shaw who went
above and beyond the call of duty on a daily
basis. He lost his life in the storms of 2005 in the
performance of his duties. This award recognizes
a Bureau of Engineering employee who, like Rory,
has demonstrated exceptional dedication to duty,
high commitment to excellence, and made significant contributions in furthering the Bureau
of Engineering’s mission and goals.
Moore spoke of how he appreciated
Vahik’s skills as a project manager, having
attended the recent ceremonies for some
of his projects: Sunset
Blvd./Mandeville Canyon Rd. and the reopening of Tujunga Blvd.
B r i d g e , S t re e t &
Stormwater Program
Manager Phil Richardson called Vahik an
ideal candidate for the
award saying, “One
of his strengths is how
he works behind the
scenes. You might not
even be aware of it, but
he’s already taken care
of everything.”
Street Improvement
Group Manager Steven Chen spoke of
Vahik’s dedication, his
professionalism and Vahik Vartanians with his wife Alice and children Christine and Andre.
thoroughness, and his In the back, Steven Chen, Phil Richardson, Ernesto Cardenas, Paula
ability to partnership Daniels, Shirley Shaw, Cynthia Ruiz, Gary Lee Moore.
with the community,
other City departments, and Council offices, same perseverance and stick-to-itiveness.
to ensure their needs are met.
He’s a shining light for the rest of the City
City Attorney Chris Westhoff added that employees.”
he and Vahik shared many frustrating moVahik spoke of what a great honor it was
ments on the recent Tujunga Blvd. project. to receive this prestigious award. He ended
He said, “I don’t think we would have the by saying, “What I do depends heavily on
roadway without Vahik on this job. There my colleagues and co-workers and I would
were so many different competing interests. like to acknowledge and thank them.” He
Vahik kept his eyes on the end game, to get also thanked his wife Alice, son Andre, and
the job done.” He added that Vahik was, daughter Christine, saying, “I couldn’t do
“like Rory Shaw, only quieter. He has the what I do without them.”
Vahik Vartanians with family, friends and co-workers.
l to r: Shirley Shaw, Gary Lee Moore, Vahik Vartanians, and
Steven Chen.
Welcome to BOE
Oscar Gutierrez
Oscar Gutierrez is one of
the newest members of
the Wastewater Program.
He will be working for
the Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division
(WCED) as a Civil Engineering Associate I and
will be located in the Public
Works Building on the sixth floor. He will
be handling design assignments under the
direction of Sean Zahedi.
Oscar was born in Los Angeles, California, and currently lives in LA. He earned a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from California State University at Los
Angeles in March of 2008.
In previous employment, Oscar worked
as a Professional Student Worker for Los
Angeles County where he processed permits
for excavation and public road right of way;
as a Home Depot Sales Associate; and, as an
intern with a local building company where
he worked on a 23-story condominium
project in Westwood. In addition, he has
managed apartment buildings since he was
18 years old.
Oscar’s father works as a shipping and
receiving clerk at a local food company. His
mother is a house wife. His older sister is a
teacher at the La Cienega Elementary School.
His younger brother is an accounting major
at Cal State L.A.
Oscar ’s hobbies include hiking and
movies.
Laurie Huning
Laurie Huning is one of
the newest members of
the Wastewater Program.
She will be working for
the Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division
(WCED) as a Transportation Foundation of LA
(TFLA) student intern and
will be located in the Public Works Building
on the sixth floor. She will be handling design
assignments under the direction of Richard
Pedrozo and Mina Azarnia.
Laurie was born in Los Angeles and currently lives in Venice, CA. She is currently
pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering at UCLA. She expects to graduate
in June of 2009.
Laurie’s father is a retired HyperionWastewater Treatment Plant Operator and
her mother is a retired Physical Therapist.
Her brother Robert is a Civil Engineering
Associate at WCED and her sister Julie is a
high school student.
Her hobbies include drawing and painting.
Page 2
New Notices
Notice No. 012
Notice No. 012 dated March 27, 2008 titled
Exit Interviews states that the Bureau would
like to encourage all employees who are leaving the Bureau to complete an Exit Interview.
It’s an opportunity for you to share relevant
information. There are a couple of options
available, you may have an interview in
person or you may fill out the Exit Interview
Questionnaire and submit it to the Personnel
Section. Please be advised, your comments
will be treated as confidential.
Please refer to Public Works, Personnel
Directive No. 50 for further information.
Notice No. 013
Notice No. 013 dated April 3, 2008 titled
Paid Sick Leave Review - Reporting Period
12/24/06 through 12/22/07 distributed a listing of paid sick usage for each employee in
each District/Division/Group who exceeds
the Department’s attendance review criteria,
and an Attendance Review Report/Counseling
Record form. Copies can be downloaded from
the BOE Intranet under Forms Library Application and listed in the Personnel Section.
Supervisors are requested to review sick
usage and counsel employees in accordance
with the guidelines set by the Department’s
Attendance Improvement Program.
For further information and instructions
on how to complete the form, refer to “Personnel Directive No. 38”. This directive can
be found in the Public Works Management
Manual, which is listed in the Distributed Info
Section on the BOE Intranet.
Supervisors are also requested to be
consistent when completing the Attendance
Review Report/Counseling Record and to avoid
instances where action is taken against
employees who have used less sick hours
or incidents than other employees in the
Group. Explanations must be given when
the no action required box is checked on the
Attendance Review Report/Counseling Record.
While the employee does not sign the form
if there is no action taken, the signatures of
the supervisor and next level manager are
required.
Supervisors should remember that an
employee’s name could continue to appear
on the computer printout for a period of
time. It’s not necessary to counsel that employee twice for the same incidents during
the 12-month fiscal reporting period. It is also
important for supervisors and managers to
remember and sign the Attendance Review
Report/Counseling Record before it is given to
the employee for signature.
The Attendance Review Report/Counseling
Record form serves three key purposes:
• It notifies the employee that his/her attendance record is of concern;
• It generates discussion regarding the attendance record and gives the employee
the opportunity to explain it; and
• It documents the counseling action.
Supervisors should make it clear to the
employee that the counseling session is not
discipline. It is a review and discussion of
the employee’s absence record because it
exceeds the established Department criteria.
If after discussion, the usage is judged unjustified or excessive, a warning or disciplinary
action may follow, but the counseling session
should not be perceived as punishment.
Also, in reviewing the computer run, consider the overall pattern and the reasons for
the use, not just the total number of occasions
and hours.
The Attendance Review Report for each
employee must be completed and returned
(along with a duplicate copy) to the Personnel Section of the Administrative Services
Division by April 11, 2008.
If you wish further assistance filling out
the form or to discuss the Attendance Improvement Program, please contact Leonor
Gardere at (213) 485-5123.
Join TEAM
The Public Works Task Force for Employee
Achievement and Morale (TEAM) is searching
for enthusiastic volunteers to help represent
the Bureau of Engineering. Several openings
are now available. TEAM is a worker-based
group that reports directly to Commissioner
Gutman on employee issues. The group’s
primary function is to provide recognition
to outstanding employees, supervisors and
teams. Regular meetings are held on the 2nd
& 4th Thursday of the month at 1:00 p.m.
in the Bureau of Contract Administration’s
conference room in the PW Building. Maricel Quirante from the BCA is currently the
Chair of the PW Team. Join Quyen Phan in
helping represent the Bureau of Engineering on TEAM. If you are interested in joining TEAM, please send an email to Myrna
Braithwaite at [email protected].
Clean Your Files Month
April is National Records Review and Clean
Your Files Month. This month-long event is
designed to increase the collection of recyclable paper, promote workplace recycling
practices, and provide additional education
for employees who already recycle at work.
Here are some tips to reduce paper:
• Set up copiers and printers to automatically print two-sided.
• Make fewer copies and do not make more
than you essentially need.
• Reduce unwanted mail, e.g., eliminate
names from mailing lists.
• Send forms and correspondence electronically.
• Adjust fonts and margins to avoid excess
paper.
Engineering Newsletter - 4/9/08
Officials Take Helicopter Tour of Los Angeles River
On March 20, 2008, the Army Corps of
Engineers, Los Angeles District hosted a
helicopter tour of the Los Angeles River.
Among those participating on the tour
were Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilmember Ed Reyes, City Engineer Gary
Lee Moore, U.S. Representative Xavier
Becerra (CA-31st), L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, U.S. Representative
Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34th), Colonel
Thomas H. Magness IV (Commander, LA
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers),
Darrell Buxton (Project Manager, LA River
Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study,
USACE), and Trevor Daley, District Director for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Gary Lee Moore helped to narrate the
tour, along with the US Army Corps. The
tour involved two US Army UH-60 Black
Hawk helicopters, which departed from
Piper Technical Center. The flight plan followed the Los Angeles River and some of
the River’s major tributaries. The tour included reaches of the LA River to Canoga
Park to the north-west and the confluence
of Compton Creek to the south.
The tour gave members of Congress
an opportunity to view potential project
locations of the ongoing US Army Corps
of Engineers’ LA River Ecosystem Restoration Study which is based on goals and
opportunity areas identified in the City’s
Los Angeles River Revitalization Master
Plan. As part of the LA River Revitalization Master Plan effort, the City is the local
sponsor for the feasibility study being conducted by the Corps. The feasibility study
will explore alternatives for ecosystem
restoration in and along the River.
In November 2007 the Water Resources
l to r: City Engineer Gary Lee Moore, U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA-31st), County Supervisor Zev
Yaroslavsky, U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34th), Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilmember Ed Reyes (CD 1), Col. Thomas H. Magness IV (Commander, LA District, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers), Darrell Buxton (Project Manager, LA River Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study,
USACE), Trevor Daley, District Director for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Development Act of 2007 (WRDA) was
passed by Congress, authorizing $25 million for Los Angeles River projects. In the
coming months, City staff will be working
with the Federal appropriations process to
ensure that the Army Corps of Engineers’
Los Angeles District can continue their
work on the River feasibility study and
demonstration projects.
Bureau of Engineering LA River staff
Carol Armstrong and Lawrence Hsu
helped in making arrangements for the
tour.
l to r: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra,
Darrell Buxton, USACE.
Engineering Newsletter - 4/9/08
l to r: Maria Chong Castillo (Deputy, Sup. Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District),
Catherine Shuman, US Army Corps of Engineers, Carol Armstrong, Diego
Cadena, Deputy Director, LA County Dept. of Public Works.
Page 3
BOE Holds 7th Annual High School Bridge Building Contest
The Bureau of Engineering held its Seventh
(7th) Annual Regional Bridge Building Contest on Thursday, March 20, 2008 at the King
Hall, of the California State University, Los
Angeles (CSULA). High School teams competed for a chance to advance to the International Contest on April 26, 2008 in Chicago,
Illinois. This contest provides the Bureau of
Engineering, High School students and local Universities an excellent opportunity for
outreach programs for promoting education
beyond high schools. Structural Engineering
Division (SED) lead the entire event from
inception to completion with ASCE students
from CSULA hosting the event.
Volunteer mentors from the Bureau of
Engineering worked diligently with the
students and their teachers in order to make
this a successful event for the participating
students and for the competition. One of the
objectives for the students was to build a
model bridge weighing no more than twenty
five grams (25 grams is less than one ounce)
that conforms to specific limited dimensions
for height, span and width requirements per
the International Bridge Building Competition rules as defined by Illinois Institute of
Technology, Chicago. Over a period of four
months, the mentors guided the high school
students through the process of designing,
drafting, construction, testing and helping
the students understand the engineering
concepts and laws of physics that govern the
performance of their bridge models. Model
bridge building provides the students with
hands-on experience that supplements their
studies. Mentors also deliver an important
message highlighting the benefits of continuing education and a career in engineering.
Students learn by hands-on experiences,
and see the connection between their studies, practical design and actual model construction. By being able to compete at an
International level will expose the winning
Welcoming placards.
Page 4
Seven high schools participated in the Bridge Building Competition.
students to higher levels of engineering and
the value of team work.
As the teams arrived, each bridge was
registered, weighed, and measured for
compliance per the international specifications. Students were given the opportunity
to modify their bridge if the bridge models
1st Place Efficiency
failed to meet the weight or dimension
guidelines. After lunch, it was time to commence the competitions. Once approved, the
models were displayed for technical inspection and judged for best Architectural Aesthetics Design and Structural Design. Judges
for Architectural Aesthetic evaluations were
Commissioner Ernesto Cardenas and Rene
Carrillo - Student President of ASCE, and Dr.
Rupa Purasinghe of CSULA and Sunny Patel
evaluated the best Structural Design.
The event was kicked off by Structural
Division Engineer Sunny Patel as the master
of ceremonies with addresses from Commissioner Ernesto Cardenas, Dean of Engineering - Dean Keith Moo-Young, and Cecelia
Alatorre of Councilmember Jose Huizar’s
Office staff.
Trophies and prizes were awarded in
the categories of Architectural Aesthetics,
Structural Design and Efficiency category. In
the Architectural Aesthetics’ category, first
place went to Adan Dela Cruz and Mireya
Macias of Roosevelt High, and second place
went to Eddie Garcia of Lewis High School.
For Structural Design, Sylvia Solar from
King Drew High took first place, and Doris
Morgan and Elias Macias from Washington
High took second place.
There was excitement to see who the two
top winners in the Efficiency category would
be since those teams could advance to the
2008 International Bridge Building Contest
1st Place winner Jonathan Portillo and 2nd Place winner Eddie Garcia
of Lewis High School will now have a chance to compete in Chicago.
Engineering Newsletter - 4/9/08
Sunny Patel emceed the event.
to be held in Chicago on April 26.
Renee Carrillo from ASCE, together with
CSULA provided the state-of-the-art bridge
testing equipment and support during testing and data collection. Model bridges were
mounted on the bridge testing machine. Hydraulic incremental loads were applied to the
bridges by a mechanical plunger controlled
by Renee Carrillo. The audiences watched
anxiously as the model bridges were loaded
and went through creaking, twisting, buckling and failure modes. The maximum load
carrying capacity of the model bridge was
collected for efficiency computation. The
goal was to score the highest efficiency ratio,
which is calculated by dividing the maximum load carried divided by the weight of
the bridge.
Jonathan Portillo from Lewis High
School, the winning entry loaded his bridge
to 53.6 Kilograms (118 pounds) at which the
bridge failed. The efficiency ratio of 4671 was
attained {Maximum Load - 53.6 kilograms
(118 lbs) divided by weight of model bridge
= 11.54 grams (0.0251 lbs)}. Eddie Garcia, also
from Lewis High School, placed second with
an efficiency ratio of 2766 and Xochiti Padilla
PW Commissioner Ernesto Cardenas.
Engineering Newsletter - 4/9/08
and Franklin Lopez, from Los Angeles High
School, took third place with an efficiency
ratio of 1527. Seven high schools participated
in the Regional Competition.
The two top winners of the competition
were from Lewis High School and mentored
by Kesavan Korand. They will now advance
to the International Bridge Competition
which will be held in Chicago, Illinois. It’s
the third year in a row that Lewis has done
well in the competition.
Special thanks to: Commissioner Ernesto
Cardenas from the Board of Public Works;
Dean of Engineering - CSULA, Keith MooYoung; Councilmember Jose Huizar’s Office
staff, Cecelia Alatorre; Chairman of Civil
Engineering - CSULA, Dr. Rupa Purasinghe,
Civil Engineering staff - CSULA, Donna
Melendez; ASCE - President of Metropolitan
Los Angeles Branch (MLAB), Karen Sepulveda; ASCE Student President-CSULA, Rene
Carrillo and Division Engineer, Sunny Patel.
We extend our thanks to all the participating
students, High Schools and their respective
teachers, Public Affairs Officers, Lauren
Skinner; Stephanie M. Interiano and Pro-
1st Place Structural Design.
gram Manager, John Saldin and all the BOE
mentors for their leadership and dedication
to the success of this Regional Competition. We extend our thanks to CSULA and
the Civil Engineering Department for their
facility and ASCE student staff for assisting
during the event.
For technical structural engineering
support, interpretations of rules and setting
a high standard at the Regional Level and
being the master of ceremonies, we thank
Sunny Patel for his foresight, support and
leadership.
As part of the entire team for this event ,
special thanks go to mentors Shashi Bhakta,
Noe Arce, Alejandro Moreno, Richard
Louie, Kesavan Korand, Mina Azarnia,
Sharat Batra, Kelvin Hoang, Ansar Mustafa, Pedro Garcia, Belal Tamimi, Leslie
Wall, Richard Garcia, Nur Malhis and
Soyoon (Eunice) Lee.
Successes of the past high school students
are worth a mention here. DeCarlis Wilson
from Community Harvest Charter High
School is now at USC, and Juvenal Mauricio
from Roosevelt High School is now studying
engineering at UC Berkeley.
LA Conservancy Programs
on Historic Bridges
Information on the Los Angeles Conservancy
Spanning History: The Bridges of the Los
Angeles River program is taken from their
website: http://laconservancy.org/bridges/.
Panel Discussion
The Los Angeles Conservancy, as part of
its Conservation Matters lecture series, will
hold a panel discussion about the history
and potential future of the historic Los Angeles River bridges, on Thursday, April 10,
2008, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, at the Getty Center.
Moderated by Larry Mantle, KPCC host of
AirTalk, the panel will include Glen Dake,
landscape architect and Cultural Heritage
Commissioner; Eric DeLony, one of the
world’s leading authorities on the history
of bridges; and City Engineer Gary Lee
Moore, who is closely involved with several
projects that are expected to transform the
face of Los Angeles. One of these is the Los
Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.
Free, but reservations are required, call (310)
440-7300.
Bridge Mix Tour & Activity Day
On Sunday, April 13, 2008, 10:00 am - 4:00
pm come for a fun-filled day of tours and
activities near four historic bridges spanning
the River between downtown L.A. and Boyle
Heights. The route spans about 2.5 miles,
with two sites on each bank. Shuttle buses
will run continuously along the route, and
walking and biking is encouraged. Admission is $30 general public; $25 Conservancy
and FoLAR members; $10 for children 12
and under. You can buy tickets online at
http://laconservancy.org/bridges/.
1st Street Bridge: Architecture and engineering - Learn how bridges are built, what
makes they stay up and fall down and how
the L.A. River bridges compare and contrast
to other iconic bridges in the U.S.
4th Street Bridge: History and Movie
Lore - Special guests Merrill Butler III, grandson of the bridges’ original designer (who
was a BOE employee) and Harry Medved
(author of Hollywood Escapes) will discuss
and illustrate the bridges’ rich history and
countless film appearances, from the 1954
sci-fi classic Them! to 2007’s Transformers.
6th Street Bridge: River Science and
Ecology - Try your hand at water testing and
see how a rare degenerative chemical reaction is affecting the iconic 6th Street Viaduct,
with experts from the Getty Conservation
Institute and Friends of the Los Angeles
River (FoLAR).
7th Street Bridge: L.A. River Master
Plan - See the vision for the River and the
bridges, and use interactive models to create
your own, with representatives from the Los
Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan,
Tetra Tech, FoLAR, Latino Urban Forum
and Gallery 727.
Page 5
March of Dimes News
Personalized Childrens
Books and More!
Personalized Children’s Books, Music &
Gifts. Make Your Child The “STAR” Of The
Story! Presented by Bureau of Engineering,
proceeds will go to the March of Dimes
When:
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Time:
9:30 am - 2:00 pm
Place:
PWB - 1st Floor Lobby
Personalized books include: Child’s Name;
1-3 Friends; City/Hometown; Child’s Age;
Your Name; And much more!
Other personalized items will be available: Children’s Music CD’s, Poems, Posters,
Coloring Books ($3.99), 1st Name Stickers
($3.50), Bookmarks ($3.99), Child’s Responsibility Lists ($5), Pewter Baby Frames, Nite
Light Fish Tanks and other fun stuff!
MOD Coordinators
Your division coordinator has the latest information on March of Dimes T-Shirt sales,
fundraisers, etc.
Div/Dist/Group
Coordinator
Admin Services
Leonor Gardere/
Tia Davis/
Karen Cundiff
Animal Bond
Nancy Giron
Architecture
Sahar Mehrzad
Bridge Imp
Peter Blikian/
Sharon Nelson
Central District
Jeffrey LaDou
Construction
Linh Lee-Ngo/
Kim Barton
EED
Vernetta Burnaugh/
Virginia Naranjo
Env Mgmt
Norman Mundy
Executive
Terri Winfield
Fire Bond
Rosemary Caraveo
Geotechnical
Dennis Wong
Harbor District
Arianne Coleman
Land Dev
Angela Ung
Mapping
Ronald Chastain/
Bruni Pelletier
Police Admin Bld Allison Linehan
Project Awd & Con Tony Tan/
Roman Barajas
Prop O
Mariet Ohanian
Prop Q
Nat Baca
Real Estate
David Castillo
RCFP/Prop K
Ed Geli
Stormwater
Shahzad Mohammadi
Street Imp
Patricia Zavala
Structural
Rosemary Romero
Survey
Brian Szramowski/
Magdi Solomon
Systems
Sharlene Ho
Valley District
Michael Kouyoumdjian
WCCD
Alejandro Moreno
WCED
Thein Htay
WLA District
Juliet Ward
Zoo
Lynette Howlett
Page 6
Architectural Bake Sale
Sample tamales, empanadas, samosas, and
other treats at 7:00 am, Wednesday, April 16,
2008, Public Works Bldg. 1st floor Lobby.
Win a Big Fat Greek Dinner
Recreational & Cultural Facilities Program
is holding a drawing to win a dinner for 2
at Papa Christos at any Thursday night family dinner, 1 ticket for $2, or 3 tickets for $5.
Drawing will be held April 24, 2008.
Sparks Tickets
Buy tickets for a Los Angeles Sparks game
on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 7:30 pm to
benefit the March of Dimes. You can get
premium seats for only $22 per ticket. You
will also be entered in a raffle to win Sparks
prizes. The seats are located in green sections
105, 106 and 107. No minimum order. Contact your MOD Coordinator for tickets.
Easy Painless Way to Give
Now presenting a certificate that will
allow you to
be untouchable from
any March of
Dimes’ fundraising event. All you have to do is pay $30
to receive a certificate. Post this certificate
anywhere in your office to inform people you
are untouchable. It also tells people you’ve
already contributed to a good cause. Please
contact your divisional March of Dimes
Coordinator to purchase one. The certificate
must have an original signature of your divisional March of Dimes Coordinator to be
valid. The funds will go toward the March
of Dimes campaign.
2008 BOE-MOD Golf Tournament Results
On Friday, March 28th, 52 golfers, ranging
from the very skilled to first timers, came
out to Griffith Park to play in the BOE’s Annual March of Dimes Golf Tournament. The
atmosphere was relaxed as players enjoyed
18 holes of golf at the scenic Harding Golf
Course. The tournament raised $1200 to
help support the March of Dimes. Thank you
to everyone who came out and supported
such a great cause and congratulations to
the winners!
Harding Golf Course (Par 74)
Tournament Winners
1st Place: Low Gross Score
Larry Meyerhofer (EMD)
79
Norman Ranquillo (BOS)
79
Bradley Smith (BOE)
79
1st Place: Low Net Score (adjusted for
handicap)
Craig Layne
69
1st Runner-Up: Low Net Score (adjusted
for handicap)
Ray Reyes
70
2nd Runner-Up: Low Net Score (adjusted
for handicap)
Rick Biggs
72
Amarat Wipaghathagit (BOE)
72
Closest to Pin
Mark McKenna
Hole #5
Jun Kintanar
Hole #15: Hole-in-One!
Longest Drive
Aaron Braden (BOE)
Hole #6
Clive Thomas (BCA)
Hole #12
Players from the Bureau of Engineering and Miramontes Construction Company pose with tournament winner Larry Meyerhofer of the City’s Emergency Management Department.
Engineering Newsletter - 4/9/08
CMAA So California Chapter Programs
The Construction Management Association
of America, Southern California Chapter has
announced the following seminars:
Change Orders - One seminar, two locations, Thursday, April 24 - Downtown Los
Angeles Marriott, and Friday, April 25,
2008 at The Grand, Long Beach, 8:00 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast, 8:30
- 11:00 am Seminar. Changes happen, even
on construction projects. Fair, timely, and reasonable incorporation of those changes into
the contract as change orders is the subject
of this seminar. At an advanced construction
manager level, we’ll look at the entire change
process, from discovery through entitlement through compensation and contract
language considerations, including consideration of schedule impact and delay. Seminar
Instructor: Chip Ossman, President, Ossman
Project Management Consulting, Inc.
EXPO - Capital Project Update on
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at the Downtown LA Marriott, 5:30 - 6:30 pm Registration/Reception and 6:30 - 8:00 pm Dinner/
Presentation. The guest speaker is Richard D.
Thorpe, Chief Executive Officer, Exposition
Construction Authority (EXPO).
Update on Phase 1: Downtown Los Angeles to Culver City - The Exposition Light
Rail line will travel along the Exposition
railroad right-of-way between Downtown
Los Angeles and Culver City. It will share
track and two stations (7th St/Metro Center and Pico) with the Metro Blue Line as
it leaves Downtown LA. It will then travel
along the Exposition right-of-way to the
current terminus at Washington/National.
Nine new stations will be constructed along
the Exposition Line route. In addition to the
station at Washington/National, the new
stations will be located on Flower at 23rd
St. and Jefferson, and on Exposition Blvd. at
Trousdale, Vermont, Western, Crenshaw, La
Brea, and La Cienega. The Exposition Light
Rail line will be approximately 8.6 miles in
length and parallel the heavily congested
I-10 freeway. It is scheduled to open in the
summer of 2010. Estimated travel time from
Downtown LA to Culver City is under 30
minutes. The cost of the project to Culver
City (Phase 1) is $808 million. Planning is
now underway on a future Phase II project
that would extend the Exposition Line to the
City of Santa Monica.
Project Status for Phase 2: Culver City to
the Beach - The proposed extension of the
Expo Line is currently in the early stages
of the environmental planning process. A
draft EIS/EIR is anticipated to be available
for public comment in Winter 2008. Over the
next year, Authority staff and the environmental consultant will work closely with the
communities along the Phase 2 corridor and
will conduct meetings at strategic milestones
Engineering Newsletter - 4/9/08
during the planning process.
Labor Compliance and Project Labor
Compliance Agreements on Friday, May 9,
2008, at The Grand, Long Beach, 8:00 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast, 8:30
- 10:30 am Seminar.
Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are a
legally charged part of a construction project - they impact the rights and remedies of
parties positively and negatively. These prenegotiated, pre-hire collective bargaining
agreements cover wages, hours and working conditions usually on large complicated
projects, but now are even applied to smaller
projects. Many agencies, including the Los
Angeles Unified School District and City
of Los Angeles, have implemented or will
implement PLAs. Mr. Kovacich will provide
practical insight to understand the legal and
administrative issues associated with these
agreements.
Specific Areas to be Covered:
• Legality of PLAs
• Impact on non-union contractors
• How are disputes, including jurisdictional disputes, resolved?
• Common pitfalls for contractors and
owners
Seminar Instructor: Thomas Kovacich, Esq.,
Senior Partner, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya,
Ruud & Romo.
LEED & Green Building - Getting Down
to the Real Issues on Thursday, May 29,
2008, at The Grand, Long Beach. 8:00 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast, 8:30
- 11:00 am Seminar. Join us to learn about:
• Sample tools needed to manage a LEED
project
• How can an Owner ensure he gets what
he’s promised
• Costs for just green vs. LEED premium
- the reality of what really drives cost
• LEED vs. Green - how green do you get
and are we overdoing protocols
• Results of the CMAA LEED Survey
• LEED and Green Building Case Law/Legal Issues
Panel Members: Ryan Altoon, Vice President, Anderson Pacific, LLC; Michael Baker,
Esq., Partner, AALRR; Peter Forsythe, Civil
Engineer, Port of Long Beach; Daniel Getting,
LEED AP, Chief Estimator, Swinerton Builders; Sandra Gonzalez, FSALA, Project Management Officer, City of Long Beach; Danny
Kaye, CCM, PMP, MRICS, President, Totum
Corp.; Jim Ogden, LEED Consultant, WCS
CA Green Building Services; Giulio Zavolta,
Sustainable Architect, Totum Corp.
Moderator: Lisa Sachs, AIA, CCM, President, Construction Controls Group
On-line Registration is available for these
programs at www.cmaasc.org. For the flier
and registration form go to www.cmaasc.org
- Event Calendar.
Navigate LA Training
If you are interested in getting hands on
training with Navigate LA, you can sign
up for a training class by contacting Mark
Nuesca of the Mapping Division at mark.
[email protected] or call Mark at (213) 4827153 if you have questions.
Classes will be held in the computer
training room on the 7th floor of the Public
Works Building. The class is limited to 20
people and seats will be assigned on a first
come basis. The class schedule is:
May 1, 2008 Thursday
1:00 - 3:00 pm
June 3, 2008 Tuesday
9:00 - 11:00 am
UPRS Training
If you are interested in getting hands-on
experience with the latest developments in
the Bureau of Engineering’s Uniform Project
Reporting System (UPRS), you can sign up
for a training class given by Ray Jadali of
Project Award & Control Division:
May 1, 2008, Thurs 9:00 am - 10:30 am
June 12, 2008, Thurs 9:00 am - 10:30 am
For class availability and to schedule please
contact Roxanne Villa at 6+847-0620.
Master Schedule Training
The focus of this training is to prepare Project
Managers (PMs) for the Quarterly Meetings
(Master Schedule/Executive Summary Report) with the City Engineer. The one hour
session will assist Project Managers in understanding and analyzing the complexity of
this report and will discuss typical questions
and answers brought up during the meeting.
This training will be a great deal of help to
both PMs and Program Managers.
This training class will be given by Ray
Jadali, Project Award & Control Division, on
Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 9:30 - 10:30 am
Please contact Roxanne Villa at 6+8470620 (x70620) for class availability.
Recall of Louisville
Ladders
Because of the possible failure of a locking
mechanism, the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission and Louisville Ladder
Inc. have announced a voluntary recall on
certain models of the company’s extension
ladders.
Go to the following website to learn
more the list of affected models. http://www.
cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml08/08197.
html
Questions regarding Occupational Safety
& Health issues, contact Calvin Toy, Bureau
Safety Engineer at [email protected].
MOD March for Babies
Saturday April 26
Page 7
Transfer Opportunities
The following transfer opportunities are
available. If you are interested, contact the
office below by Tuesday, April 15, 2008:
Civil Engineer
Prop O - Monique Parker (213) 847-0392
Civil Engineering Associate III
Prop O - Monique Parker
6+847-0392
SMG - Lydia Gonzalez
6+485-4494
(3 positions)
WCE/WCC - Brian Stoker 6+485-1072
CE Drafting Technician
WCED - Brian Stoker
6+485-1072
Engineering Designer I
Seismic - Meiling Yang (213) 202-5592
Environmental Specialist II
Env Mgmt - Ara Kasparian 6+485-5729
Management Aide
Prop O - Monique Parker
6+847-0392
Management Analyst II
PAB - Darryl Kitagawa (213) 482-7377
Prop Q - Darryl Kitagawa (213) 482-7377
Management Assistant
Prop K - Ruben Vasquez
6+978-7776
Office Engineering Technician II
WLA - Juliet Ward
(310) 575-8640
Senior Structural Engineer
SED - Guen Davis
6+485-5413
Structural Engineering Associate III
Seismic - Meiling Yang (213) 202-5592
Arrivals
Oscar Gutierrez, CE Associate I, WCED;
Grace Ramirez, Sr Clerk Typist, LDG.
Promotions
William Jones, Student Engineer IV, SIG;
George Alvarez, Student Engineer IV,
Central.
Departures
Dale Williams, CE Associate III, transfer to
Airports, Central; Mansoor Ishfaq, CE Associate II, transfer to Airports, PAC; Sharon
Lee, Management Analyst II, transfer to
City Clerk, Prop Q; Michael Silverman,
Environmental Specialist II, transfer to DWP,
Env Mgmt.
Board Report Unit E-Mail
Address
This is a reminder that the Board Report
Unit’s e-mail address is Eng Board-Reports
([email protected]).
We’ve noticed that writers of draft
Board Reports, Special Orders and Notices
sometimes e-mail these documents directly
to individuals in the Board Report Unit.
This practice should be avoided as it causes
delays in processing documents when that
individual is unavailable. The Eng Board Reports e-mail can be opened by all staff in the
Board Report Unit. This procedure ensures
consistency and that matters can be handled
in a timely manner.
CAO Change
City Administrative Officer Karen Sisson
has announced that she will be resigning
her position to become Vice President at
Pomona College as of July 1, 2008. Mayor
Villaraigosa has appointed Marcus Allen to
be CAO upon her departure. Prior to this,
Allen spent two years as the Mayor’s Deputy
Chief of Staff and Chief Operations Officer
and five years as Chief Deputy and Assistant
General Manager for the City Controller. He
also worked in the Chief Legislative Analyst office and served as budget deputy for
County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavksy. Most
recently he has been working at a consulting
company he formed.
2nd Annual Public Works
LIVE! Show
If you missed the auditions last year, here’s
your chance. We’re looking for singers, dancers, musicians, jugglers and all other talented
employees of the Bureau of Engineering to
audition for the Second Annual Public Works
LIVE!, a Department of Public Works talent
showcase held in celebration of National
Public Works Week. Individuals are welcome,
groups are encouraged.
Entry form submittal deadline: April 14,
2008, 5:00 pm.
Auditions: April 22-24, 2008, Time and
Location to be announced later.
Talent Show: May 22, 2008. 11:30 am.,
AT&T Center Auditorium, 1149 S. Hill
Street.
See participation rules and submit your
entry form no later than Monday, April 14,
2008, at 5:00 pm to Board of Public Works,
Public Affairs Office, Attn: Stephanie Interiano 200 N. Spring St., Room M165, Los
Angeles, CA 90012, Mail stop: 952, e-mail:
[email protected].
Deferred Compensation
Elections Notification
Message from Deferred Compensation Office:
Dear City employee,
You may have already received, or will
shortly receive, a notification from the
Deferred Compensation Plan regarding
elections for:
• The Board of Deferred Compensation
Administration Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System (LACERS)
Representative; and
• The Board of Deferred Compensation
Administration Fire/Police Pensions
(“Pensions”) Representative.
Our Plan Administrator, Great-West, advises
us that its mailing service inadvertently mismatched the mailing files and you received
the incorrect notification. A corrected hardcopy mailing should be received by you in
a few days. Please accept our very sincere
apologies for this error.
PWB Atrium Reception
The Bureau of Sanitation will be hosting a
reception to mark the grand opening of the
atrium on the 9th floor of the Public Works
Building at 4:30 pm, Thursday, April 17,
2008. Light refreshments will be served.
Save Energy at Work
All employees are reminded that they should
do the following:
Before You Leave Work
• Unplug electronic devices when they
are not in use. Or plug everything into a
power strip and switch it off after shutting down equipment.
• Close drapes and shades to limit the
amount of heat that comes in during
the Summer and to minimize heat from
escaping in the Winter.
• Turn off all printers, copiers, fax machines, kitchen equipment and lights.
• Shut down computers when possible. Be
sure to turn off monitors, too.
• Set thermostats no higher than 63°F during off-work hours.
For more ways to save energy, go to www.
FlexYourPower.org and subscribe to e-Newswire - California’s energy efficiency news
source.
LAFCU El Monte Branch
LAFCU press release:
Los Angeles, CA (April 4, 2008) - Los Angeles
Federal Credit Union (LAFCU) will host an
Open House at its newest, full service El
Monte Branch all day on Wednesday, April
23, 2008. Current and potential LAFCU
members are also welcome to attend. All
Open House attendees will receive a special
commemorative gift.
The branch is located at 9204 Flair Drive,
Suite A, in the Flair Plaza Shopping Center,
corner of Flair Drive and Aerojet Avenue. It’s
accessible from the Rosemead Boulevard/
Flair Drive exit off the 10 San Bernardino
Freeway, and is located in a building behind
Starbucks Coffee and Quizno’s restaurants,
with ample, free parking next to it.
We’d Like to Hear from You
If you have any articles for the Newsletter,
please e-mail them to Winifred Harano
([email protected]) and Teresa Aguilar
([email protected]) Administrative Services Division, Stop 311 or Fax to 6+485-4965
(x54965). The deadline for the next issue is
Thursday, April 17, 2008.
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