12-05-07 Newsletter.indd - Bureau of Engineering

No. 08-12
December 5, 2007
Grand Opening of LA Zoo Campo Gorilla Reserve
BOE Delivers Project to Rave Reviews
November 8, 2007 marked the grand opening
of the Campo Gorilla Reserve and the return
of L.A.’s six gorillas after four years.
The Campo Gorilla Reserve closely resembles the gorilla’s native West Central
African environment. Full of trees, brush,
flowers, thistles, waterfalls, pools, rocky
ledges for climbing, a sunny grass area and a
dark shady retreat, it features a mist machine
(on a timer set to go off at specified times of
the day) that also serves as a cooling system
in the summer. Campo Gorilla Reserve allows Zoo visitors to view the gorillas from
five different areas, two of which are glass
fronted which allows the possibility for
extremely close observation of the apes in
their habitat.
The Campo Gorilla Reserve completes
the Zoo’s Great Ape Forest, making it one
of the few zoos in the nation to house three
species of great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees
and orangutans.
“If ever there was a reason to visit the Los
Angeles Zoo, this Campo Gorilla Reserve is
it,” said Councilmember Tom LaBonge. “It’s
an amazing experience to be close up to our
gorilla residents inside a re-creation of a West
Central African jungle. You can’t miss it!”
Zoo Director John Lewis said. “It is our
hope that this reserve will educate our visitors as to why gorillas are endangered and
what we can do to help them.”
Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association
(GLAZA) President Connie Morgan said,
“Campo Gorilla Reserve’s magnificent
beauty and its extraordinary environment
for the Zoo’s six gorillas far exceed our
expectations.”
Also at the ribbon-cutting ceremony was
l to r: John Olinger, BCA; Dave Barnes, BCA; Gary Lee Moore; Walter
Bradley, BCA; Rebecca’s daughter Rachel Trail; Rebecca Abano; John
Reamer, BCA
actress Betty White, ambassador to animals
for the City of Los Angeles and longtime
Zoo supporter.
Congratulations go to project manager
Rebecca Abano; construction manager Jason
Lockwood; assistant construction manager
continued on page 5
Zoo General Manager John Lewis speaking at the grand opening.
New Senior Engineers
Lawrence Hsu
Lawrence Hsu has been
appointed as Senior Civil
Engineer with the LA River
Project Office of the Executive Division.
Larry received a Bachelor of Science degree in
Civil Engineering from UC
Irvine in 1991 and worked
in the private sector as an environmental
engineering design consultant before joining the City. Larry’s City career began with
the Bureau of Engineering in the Hyperion
Engineering Design Division, which became
the Wastewater Treatment Engineering Division and later the Environmental Engineering Division in a series of reorganizations.
During the 10 years in the treatment plant
group, Larry delivered projects including the
TITP Sodium Hypochlorite Facility, the LAG
Sodium Bisulfite Facility, Venice Pumping
Plant Automation Project, and collection system pumping plant rehabilitation projects.
Larry also led the pilot testing and concept
development effort on the HTP Primary Batteries Odor Control Centralization project.
In 2001, Larry transferred to the Los Angeles World Airports and delivered the LAX
Taxiway B Reconstruction Project, which
involved 24 hour construction in the midst of
an active airfield with air traffic on all sides
of the project area. In 2003, Larry promoted
back to BOE as a Sanitary Engineer in the
Stormwater Group. As the supervisor of
the flood control planning and pre-design
section, Larry was responsible for drainage
investigations, the City’s National Flood
Insurance Program, the stormwater GIS,
and the Flood Control Project Prioritization
system. Larry was the acting Stormwater
Group Manager during the record 2005 rain
season and managed the group’s response to
numerous stormwater emergency projects.
This past year, Larry provided key technical
analysis of potential mud and debris flows
in support of the Griffith Park fire recovery
efforts.
Larry resides in Arcadia with his wife
Jenny (a former BOE engineer now with LA
County Sanitation Districts) and their two
children, Jacob (5) and Katie (2).
Larry’s office is on the 6th floor of the
Public Works Building and his phone number is 213 485-4562.
Sprint Employee Discount
Just in time for the holidays, the Sprint
NEXTEL Discount Program for City of Los
Angeles employees is here. Go to www.sprint.
com/lacityemployees. City employees can receive a 15% discount on Sprint Nextel rates,
lower pricing and promotions on handsets,
and additional discounts on accessories. Add
additional phones for family members.
Page 2
John Saldin
John Saldin has been appointed as Senior Civil
Engineer and the construction manager of the
Prop O Clean Water Bond
Program. John was raised
in Pullman, Washington,
and graduated from Washington State University in
1982. He began his City career that year as
a Civil Engineering Assistant with the Department of Water and Power. In 1991, John
promoted to Civil Engineer in the Solids
Technology and Resource Recovery Division
of the Bureau of Engineering at Hyperion.
He rotated to the Accelerated Sewer Repair
Program (ASRP) in 1997, where he has
handled design, construction, and grant administration of sewer rehabilitation projects.
Within ASRP, he promoted to Acting Senior
Civil Engineer and later received a Project
Manager II bonus. The ASRP will complete
construction this year.
John and his wife, Connie, have three
daughters who keep them very busy. John
has spent many hours on the soccer and
softball fields with the girls.
John’s office is on the 6th Floor of the
Public Works Building and his phone number is 213 485-1411.
Welcome to Engineering
Janice Ly
Janice Ly is the newest employee in the Wastewater
Program. She will be working for the Wastewater
Conveyance Construction
Division (WCCD) located
in the Public Works Building on the sixth floor. She
is promoting from Management Assistant
to Management Analyst and transferring
to WCCD from the Recreation and Parks
Department. She will be handling administrative assignments under the direction
of Rajni Patel.
Janice was born in Vietnam and currently
lives in Rosemead. She earned a Bachelor’s
Degree in Accounting from Cal Poly Pomona in 2004.
She has worked for the City for 6 years.
She has served as a Clerk Typist with LACERS, as a Senior Clerk Typist with Office
of Finance and Department of Water and
Power, as a Tax Compliance Officer with
Office of Finance, and as a Management
Assistant with Recreation and Parks Department. In other employment, she was
a customer service supervisor for a local
manufacturer of CD’s and DVD’s.
Janice’s husband, Minh, works as a
plant engineer in the private sector. They
are proud parents of three kids: six-year-old
Nathan, five-year-old Kayla, and three-yearold Bryce. Her favorite hobby is reading and
she plans to pursue a Masters in Business
Administration.
City Network Needs Help
Message from ITA:
The Information Technology Agency (ITA)
encourages departments to utilize the Internet to disseminate, acquire, and share
information to further the goals and objectives of the City of Los Angeles. In 2005,
the City’s Internet bandwidth capacity
was tripled to support the growing usage
of e-government services. But, in this past
year, Internet bandwidth consumption has
continuously reached maximum capacity
and has impacted overall response time of
Internet services.
The majority of Internet usage is attributed to legitimate City business, but unfortunately, a growing trend is associated with
employee use of Internet radio webcast from
network attached workstations. Internet
radio webcast is an online web service that
allows users to listen to live radio broadcasts
via a web browser or other multimedia application such as Windows MediaPlayer or
RealPlayer. Continuous use of Internet radio
webcasts are attributing to up to 30% of the
City’s Internet bandwidth capacity. Also,
unfortunately, most radio usage is not news
related, but primarily music.
The City’s Internet bandwidth is shared
by all City departments and inappropriate
use of Internet resources impacts overall
Internet capacity and response time. ITA
is working towards an Internet bandwidth
Management solution to address Internet
bandwidth saturation and capacity issues.
Until this solution is implemented, along
with other hardware and software upgrades
(which will take at least a year) the ITA is
requesting departments to refrain from inappropriate departmental usage of Internet
radio webcast. General Managers are encouraged to actively encourage their employees
to use the Internet for official City business,
and also convey inappropriate Internet usage within their departments. If employees
would like to listen to music, other methods
not attached to our network, such as radios,
ipods and CD players can be comparable
substitutes.
LA Zoo Reindeer Romp
Until January 1, 2008, come to the Los Angeles Zoo for the Reindeer Romp. Children
can see live reindeer, make reindeer antlers
to wear, watch animals unwrap their very
own holiday treats. On December 8, 2008, is
a special screening of the movie Fred Claus.
Show your Ralphs Club Card and save $2
off adult and $1 off child admission. For
more information call (323) 644-4200 or go
to www.lazoo.org.
Engineering Newsletter - 12/5/07
Street Work on Sepulveda
Blvd. Extended
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES (November 21, 2007) - The
street improvement project on Sepulveda
Boulevard in Westchester was granted a
temporary exemption from the stoppage
of construction work usually implemented
on major thoroughfares during the holiday
season. Work will continue from November
16 through 30, with the exception of November 21 through 25. The holiday moratorium,
usually implemented from November 19
through January 4, will be enforced on
December 1.
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, who
represents the community of Westchester,
approved the exemption request made by
the Department of Public Works, Bureau of
Engineering (BOE). The extra seven working
days will allow for the restoration of sidewalks, curbs and gutters on the southbound
side of Sepulveda Boulevard from Manchester Avenue through La Tijera Boulevard.
“This extension will allow for necessary sidewalk repair to take place along
the Sepulveda corridor,” Rosendahl said.
“For the convenience of residents, business
owners, pedestrians, and the traveling public, construction will be halted during the
Thanksgiving weekend and will resume
quickly thereafter.”
Gary Lee Moore, City Engineer, says,
“The timely completion of the Sepulveda
Boulevard street improvement project is of
highest priority. The Bureau of Engineering
is exerting all efforts to mitigate delays due
to the relocation of critical power poles in the
work area. We are committed to providing
safe and passable walkways to our pedestrians and shoppers during the holidays. With
the cooperation of our residents and motorists through this brief holiday moratorium
exemption, we will be able to temporarily restore the sidewalk in the business district for
safe use until we resume work in January.”
The $8.2-million Sepulveda Boulevard
improvement project stretches from Howard
Hughes Parkway on the north to Lincoln Avenue on the south. Work involves sidewalk
work and landscaping, median installation
and landscaping, installation of right turn
lanes at strategic locations, and tree plantings. Crews broke ground in the summer
of 2007 and will continue work, except for
the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons,
through summer 2009. Construction hours
are from 7:00 am through 4:00 pm from
Monday through Friday.
For more information about the Sepulveda Boulevard improvement project as
well as other projects, programs and services provided by the Department of Public
Works, call the Public Affairs Office at (213)
978-0333, e-mail: [email protected], or visit www.
lacity.org/DPW/dpwhome.htm.
Engineering Newsletter - 12/5/07
Councilmember Jan Perry joined City employees and Latino Theater Center officials in the grand
opening ceremony for the Los Angeles Theater Center
New LA Theater Center Grand Opening
On the evening of October 25, 2007, the
newly renovated Los Angeles Theater Center
(LATC) came to life in the historic Old Bank
district. Councilmember Jan Perry was joined
by other City officials, artists, and hundreds
of excited audience members at the Grand
Opening celebration. All were treated a
choice of four inaugural performance events
of theater, dance, and music, which kicked
off the World Stage Festival.
The New LATC is a City owned facility,
located at 514 S. Spring Street, surrounded
by hundreds of housing units. By staging
play festivals and art exhibits, it is envisioned to be a partner in the area nightlife
and renaissance. The facility consists of four
performance venues of 500, 320, 269, and 99
seats. The Latino Theater Center and The
Latino Museum (LTC & TLM) were selected
through a Request-for-Proposal (RFP) process by the City in 2006. The LTC & TLM
were successful in securing a State Grant,
California Cultural and Historical Endow-
ment (CCHE), for $4M to complete Phase 1
of facilities renovations and improvements.
Phase 1 scope of work included sprucing up
main Lobby including a new monumental
stair, glass railings, and bamboo floorings,
new ADA compliant bathrooms, modernized theaters, and overall general cleaning
and improvements, electrical, HVAC, etc.
Subsequent phases will include museum
exhibit & support spaces, a café, stores, as
well as an arts conservatory for high school
students.
The Bureau of Engineering was requested
back in 2005 to provide construction technical assistance on the RFP. The Bureau contributed in developing the RFP, contract, and
was on the City team to select the current
operators. In addition, the Bureau provided
plan reviews and represented the City as
Landlord in the construction phase. Kudos
to Mahmood Karimzadeh, Bill Lee, Tony
C. Lee, Nasser Razepour, Saro Dersaroian,
and Shawn Farzan.
Help Children’s Hospital
GSD Toner Notice
For the month of December, all City of Los
Angeles employees showing their City
Badge will get a 10% discount with every
plate ordered at California Pita (located
at City Hall Mall space). Also, the restaurant will donate an additional 10% to the
Children’s Hospital for every plate ordered
up to maximum of $1,000 donated. An ITA
employee has also agreed to contribute 5%
for every plate ordered, up to a maximum of
$500 donated. Remember this offer is good
only for City Employees with ID and only
for the month of December!
Use of Certain Recycled Content Printer
Toner Cartridges Temporarily Discontinued Until Further Notice.
Effective November 9, 2007, Office Depot
was directed to temporarily discontinue
providing the City with certain remanufactured toner cartridges due to quality issues.
Office Depot will fill orders for Hewlett
Packard HP 4650 and HP 5500 printers with
the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
toner cartridges. The City end users will be
notified when the supplier is able to find a
remanufactured toner that meets the quality
of the original equipment manufacturer.
Page 3
Engineering Group Photos
We are sharing the final photos taken of the different groups/divisions in the Bureau of Engineering. Thanks go to Serge Haddad, who
led the project, Sam Wong, who volunteered to take the photos, and to all the division coordinators who assisted in this effort.
Wastewater Conveyance Construction Division
The Wastewater Conveyance Construction Division (WCCD) is responsible for managing the new construction and rehabilitation of the
City’s extensive sewage collection and conveyance systems and for responding to sewer related emergencies. The construction projects
include large sewer tunnels, pumping stations, Cement Sewer Replacement Program (CSRP), Secondary Sewer Renewal Program (SSRP)
and Emergency Sewer Repair Program (ESRP) that also includes Super Expedited Wastewater Emergency Rehabilitation for Sewers (SEWERS). Typical operations include coordination with the contractors, inspectors, public and private agencies, community outreach, field
engineering and project schedule and cost monitoring and control. WCCD is also responsible for completing the construction of the legally
mandated Collection System Settlement Agreement program, more commonly known as the “60 Mile Program” through FY 2013-14.
Wastewater Conveyance Construction Division, 1st Row, l to r: Jeanie Lam, Iftekhar Ahmed, Patricia Konkirati, Romulo Samonte, Pat Cheng,
Somsak Sasnakul, Harshad Shah, Rajni Patel, Darshna Patel, Thein Htay, Wai Yip, Leah Mulat, Jun Espiritu. 2nd Row: Rafael Solorzano, Rafael
Herrera, Sam Alvarado, Anh Hoang, Matthew Venable, Sylvia Sanchez, Marte San Diego, Kaushal Parbhoo, Sergio Mejorado, Fernando Cayton. 3rd
Row: Belal Tamimi, Zohra Abassy, Harry Balaz, Joe Hawkins, Mike Schmoker, Kao Liao, John Huynh, Romano Galassi. 4th Row: Huang Shih Chang,
Carlos Chaidez, Scott Gibson, Hector Lara. Not in Picture: Maryanne Yee, Elvia Aragon, Yoon Cho, Richard Garcia, Christine Jones, Felix Madariaga,
Ed Gobaton, Jon Haskett, Jorge De La Torriente, Iraj Moussay-Afzali, David Martin.
Zoo Facilities Group
The Zoo Facilities Group manages a $128
million capital program for facilities at the
Los Angeles Zoo funded in part by General
Obligation Bonds approved by the voters
in 1998, Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), Zoo Enterprise Trust Fund,
MICLA and General Fund.
Zoo Facilities Group, l to r: Lynette Howlette, Richard Itomura, Shelley Wong, Rebecca Abano.
Page 4
Engineering Newsletter - 12/5/07
Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division
The Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division is responsible for the design of new sewers, the rehabilitation and replacement of
existing sewers, and odor control and other ancillary facilities; for the administration of the Collection System Settlement Agreement and
the Accelerated Sewer Repair Program; for third party reviews; and for recommending the approval of materials for use in rehabilitation
and replacement of sewers.
Wastewater Conveyance Engineering Division, 1st Row, l to r: Sean Zahedi, Carla Rinehart, Gus Malkoun, Andrias A. Badalian, Nick Demos,
Desmond Lew, Wayne Lawson, Keith Hanks, Carlos Amaya, Bradley Jenson, James Corralejo, Richard Pedrozo, Xiaoxue Chelsea Li, Sam Suleiman. 2nd
Row: Can K. Chow, Kyaw Stephen Htin, Amber Elton, Nelson Sarti, Hortensia Alonso, Mariet Ohanian, Dianne Myles, Van Nguyen, Jin Hwang,
Esmat Mina Azarnia, Stella Wai, Yafang Su (Consultant), Susan Gould (Consultant), Thanh Jim Mai. 3rd Row: John Saldin, Hiep Lam, Yasmin
Hafeez, Andy Leung, A. A. El-Fadly, Hassan Masoud, Somsak Sasnakul, Chinh Dinh, Claudia Haskett, Siamak Zahir, Angela Ung, Ing Kueh, Aildas
Fajardo, David Copp, Elena Fuan, Derek Kim (Consultant), Tahir Upshur (Consultant), Dan Nhu (Consultant), Melchor Lagunzad. 4th Row: John
Baelly, , Thomas Enriquez, Sayed Shah, Doug Irvine, Jonathan De Leon, Gevork Mkrtchyan, Ivan Gerson, Letitia Day, Amber Wimberly, Thomas
Woo, Tri V. Kha, Kin Kwong, Amie McElroy, Kent Welling, Ishmael Escobar, James Kho. 5th Row: Cristian Guerrero, Kaleed Abram, Josh Pang,,
Jevon Lam, Wajdi Abolhosn, Abid Chowdhry. Not in Picture: Maha Atiya, Reginald S. Cantrell, Dan Comorre, Majed Harb, Sharon McDonald, Maj
Mirhosseini, Natalie Moore, Robert Nussbaum, Fuh-Shing Pan, Federico Ricketts, Robert Sanchez, Swarn Seth, Nusrat Shermin, Brian Stoker, Bing
Sun, Mary Thomas, Cheryl True.
Campo Gorilla Reserve - continued from page 1
Robert Shufeldt; Paul Muntz, Construction;
Richard Itomura, Lynette Howlett, Shelley
Wong, Zoo Facilities; Survey Party Chiefs
Shwe Lee and Carlos Lopez; Theo Seeley
and Bruk Moges, Geotechnical; former
project manager Allan Kawaguchi; former
construction manager Brian Kanegawa;
and former program manager Bill Lee; Bureau of Contract Administration inspectors
John Ollinger, Angela Martinez and David
Barnes; and everyone else involved with
this project
Jones & Jones Architects led the design
effort. They raised the gorillas above the
view level so people are inspired by them
- instead of looking down into a pit at them.
Also, gorillas like to have distant views of
the landscape so the gorillas feel like they
have a larger territory.
AKG Construction, Inc., began construction in March 2006 and completed construction in September 2007.
Campo Gorilla Reserve was funded by
the GLAZA, by Proposition CC, a bond measure passed in 1998 by Los Angeles voters,
and through City funding.
Engineering Newsletter - 12/5/07
Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
State Assembly Bill 1825 requires that employers of 50 or more employees provide
mandatory sexual harassment prevention
training to all supervisors and managers every two years. The Personnel Department is
once again providing a web-based program
that has been updated to include a segment
on the City’s Zero Tolerance for Hazing
policy. The 2007 online training course is
available at http://per.ci.la.ca.us/ then click
on the Sexual Harassment Training link. The
training takes about two hours. As before,
the course may be completed either at work
or at home. The deadline for completing this
training is December 31, 2007.
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 the training class given by Ray Jadali of
PACD group on December 12, 2007 9 : 3 0
am - 10:30 am. For class availability and to
schedule please contact Carlos Villegas at
6+847-0602.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Chelsea Li,
WCED, at the Homewalk for the Homeless.
Homewalk Raises $750K
The Homewalk for the Homeless, held on
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at Exposition
Park, was a big success. The Department of
Public Works was well represented. Deputy
City Engineer Tim Haug was the leader of
the BOE team. He reported that according to
United Way, the event raised about $750K.
Page 5
L.A. River Master Plan Receives Award
Public Works Public Affairs Office press release:
LOS ANGELES-(November 21, 2007) The
Los Angeles River Revitalization Master
Plan (LARRMP) received the President’s
Award of Excellence for Planning and Urban Design by the Colorado Chapter of the
American Society of Landscape Architects
this past October. The President’s Award of
Excellence is not granted every year, but is
awarded when a project deserves the honor.
In addition, the Master Plan received the
Waterfront Center’s Annual Excellence on
the Waterfront Honor Award presented in
Boston earlier this month.
“We are extremely honored by these
awards and the acknowledgement from our
peers. The City is in the process of implementing the Master Plan and we are excited
by the anticipated enrichment to the lives of
Los Angeles residents that will result from
the transformation of the River,” said City
Engineer Gary Lee Moore.
The master planning process took two
years and cost $3 million. It was funded by
the Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power and managed by the Department of
Public Works, Bureau of Engineering. The
City worked with Tetra Tech, an environmental and engineering consultant based in
Pasadena, and a team of subconsultants to
complete the plan. The Master Plan is a 20-50
year vision for River revitalization.
“This process has been inclusive and
transparent. We wanted to ensure everyone
with a stake in River revitalization had
an opportunity to weigh in, and we will
continue our community partnerships as
we make progress with implementation,”
Moore added.
The LARRMP was adopted by the Los
Angeles City Council this past May, and
since that time the City has gone out to communities across the city to discuss specific
plans. The LARRMP is a blueprint to revitalize the Los Angeles River by providing
improved natural habitat, improved water
quality and increased flood protection, as
well as recreation, open space amenities
and economic development opportunities.
The $2 billion-plus LARRMP consists of 239
projects to renew the River and its surrounding communities.
The LAARMP complements the County
of Los Angeles’ Integrated Regional Water
Management Plan (IRWMP) and the City’s
recently-adopted Integrated Resources Plan
(IRP), which guides future water reclamation and reuse, recognizing that the River
is intrinsically tied to the City’s wastewater
collection system.
The LARRMP will guide development
of a variety of greening and construction
projects, including parks and open space,
pedestrian and bicycle trails, bridges, enhanced connector streets, channel modificaPage 6
tions, ecological restoration and, revitalized
riverfront communities in key Opportunity
Areas. It also guides the development of a
River Improvement Overlay (RIO) district,
and a collaborative River management system to address issues, such as River access,
maintenance, and public safety.
Career Service Awards
The Personnel Department has announced
that nominations are now open for the 2006
Civilian Employee Career Service Awards
(CSA) annual program. This program
provides the City the chance to honor noteworthy acts of its employees. Every civilian
City employee is eligible for this award. The
categories are:
• Provided Exceptional Customer Service
(Accomplishments that resulted in a positive impact on communities in the City,
or that maintained or heightened a high
level of service to the public)
• Demonstrated Outstanding Work
Contribution or Dedication to Duty
(Performed a work assignment or implemented a program that enhanced the
effectiveness of City operations or demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm and
commitment to City service)
• Acts of Heroism (Acts of bravery or personal sacrifice above and beyond the duties and responsibilities of the employee’s
position)
• Received Recognition from a City
Department or Other Governmental
Agencies for Extraordinary Services
(Recognition from another City department or external government entities for
a successful venture that expanded the
quality of service to the community)
• Outstanding Teamwork (Team members
provided a high standard of professionalism and achievement in support of
their department’s strategic goals and
objectives. Please note that this level of
recognition is intended for groups that
attained very special achievements in
their workplace. This is not intended to
recognize all those work groups or teams
that have been doing a “good job” year
round.)
Notice No. 024 with the 2007 Nomination
form was distributed to all offices and is
also available on the Personnel Department’s
intranet accessed through http://insidela/.
Nominations are due to Leonor Gardere,
Personnel Section, Administrative Services
Division, Stop 311, by Friday, December
14, 2007.
City Hall Blood Drive
Please donate blood at the American Red
Cross City Hall Blood Drive on Wednesday
and Thursday, December 5 & 6, in the 4th
floor media room City Hall, 9am - 3pm.
GFCIs Protect From
Shock for the Holidays
With more than 400 million devices installed
nationwide, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) have been credited with reducing
the number of electrocutions dramatically
in the last 25 years. The Electrical Safety
Foundation International (ESFI) reminds
consumers to test their GFCIs receptacles
every month, especially during the holiday
season.
Most often installed in kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors, GFCIs are designed to
minimize shock and electrocution, especially
when electrical appliances inadvertently
come in contact with water. If a GFCI senses
minimal current leakage in an electrical
circuit, it assumes a ground fault has occurred. It then automatically disconnects
the power.
In spite of their widespread use and life
saving abilities, a recent ESFI study found
that 60% of Americans were not familiar with
the term GFCI and of those familiar with the
term 44% rarely, if ever, test them.
As the number of visitors in your home
increases over the holidays and electrical
decorations are put up inside and out, be
sure to test your GFCIs. Like all electrical
devices, GFCIs can be damaged or wear out.
Testing GFCI receptacles is the only way to
ensure they are working properly. The GFCI
outlet may continue to function, even if the
GFCI protection no longer works. For simple
steps on how to test your GFCI outlets, visit
ESFI at http://www.holidaysafety.org.
ESFI also recommends the following tips
for using GFCIs this holiday season:
• For electric shock protection, plug outdoor lights and electric decorations into
circuits protected by GFCIs.
• A GFCI should be used in any area where
water may come in contact with electrical products. GFCIs are now required
by code in certain areas of the home, including unfinished basements, kitchens,
bathrooms, bedrooms, garages, crawl
spaces and around swimming pools.
• Power surges and electrical storms may
damage GFCIs, preventing them from
working properly. Monthly testing
GFCI’s is a good safety practice.
ESFI reminds everyone that electricity is a
powerful tool. It can also be a lethal hazard.
Better safety standards have reduced electrical hazards that cause deaths, injuries and
property damage. But good safety habits
are still the best prevention against electrical
hazards. For more holiday electrical safety
information, please visit ESFI at: http://www.
holidaysafety.org.
Questions regarding occupational safety
& health, contact Calvin Toy, Bureau Safety
Engineer at [email protected].
Engineering Newsletter - 12/5/07
UCLA Extension Professional Engineering
Review Classes
The following PE review classes are scheduled for winter 2008 through UCLA Extension. To enroll, call 310-825-9971, or visit
www.uclaextension.edu. Select the “quick
enroll” tab and enter the Reg#. For more
information, call 310-206-1548 or e-mail
[email protected].
Mechanical Engineering Review
809 Engineering 3.6 CEU $550
This course reviews subjects covered in the
California State Board Professional Exam
for Mechanical Engineers. Fundamentals
of strength of materials, thermodynamics,
fluid mechanics, heat transfer, dynamics,
and engineering economics are applied to
solutions of problems.
Prerequisite: Engineer-in-Training Certificate or equivalent.
Reg# T5583B
UCLA: 100 La Kretz Hall
Saturday, 9am-4pm,
January 12 & 26; February 9 & 23; March
8 & 15, 6 mtgs.
Jan Swider, PhD, PE, Engineer/Scientist,
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Inc.
Civil Engineering Special Seismic Review
833.2 Engineering 1.8 CEU $375
This course reviews the basic seismic analysis and design procedures covered in the
California State Board Civil Engineering
Special Seismic Exam. Topics include the
nature of earthquakes and earthquake forces
on structures; fundamentals of structural
dynamics; current UBC provisions on lateral
force design; flexible and rigid diaphragms;
shear walls; seismic design requirements for
steel, reinforced concrete, wood, and masonry structures; and other special topics.
Prerequisite: Engineer-in-Training Certificate or equivalent.
Reg# T5628B
UCLA: 5225 Math Sciences
Thursday, 6:30-9:30pm,
January 10-February 14, 6 mtgs.
Chukwuma Ganiru Ekwueme, PhD,
Associate Principal, Weidlinger Associates,
Inc.
Fundamentals of Engineering
843 Engineering 4.8 CEU $600
This course reviews the engineering fundamentals of the various subjects covered
by the Engineer-in-Training Exam, including mathematics, statics, dynamics, fluid
mechanics, chemistry, materials science,
mechanics of material, electrical circuits,
thermodynamics, engineering economics,
ethics, and computers.
Prerequisite: Three years of college engineering or three years of engineering work
experience.
Reg# T5414B
UCLA: 110 Haines Hall
Saturday, 9am-4pm,
January 12-March 15, 8 mtgs.
(no mtg. 1/19 & 2/16)
Fadi Zeidan Kamand, PhD, PE, Metropolitan Water District
USC Master of Leadership Program
USC is currently offering an Executive
Master of Leadership degree program and
is cordially inviting City of Los Angeles management to attend their one-hour Executive
Master of Leadership Information Session on
the following dates: Thursday, December 6,
2007, at 6:00 pm or Saturday, December 8,
2007, at noon.
The Executive Master of Leadership
program is a one-year program consisting
of seven 4-unit courses, which will allow
you to obtain your Masters degree while
working full-time.
Candidates for admission must have
earned a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum
3.0 GPA. Exceptions to the minimum GPA
requirement may be made when justified
by exceptional work experience and letters
of recommendation.
The degree curriculum has three distinguishing features:
• transformational leadership that connects the public, private, and nonprofit
sectors;
• an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinEngineering Newsletter - 12/5/07
ary problem solving approach;
• a design to connect ethics with leadership
through core values.
The Information Session will cover the following:
• the application and enrollment process
• specific information regarding program
curriculum
• cost of tuition and resources available to
help pay for tuition
• introduction to the faculty
The Information Session will be held at the
School of Policy, Planning, and Development, which is located on the USC campus
on the corner of Exposition and Figueroa
Street in the RGL building. The best place to
park is through Gate 3 in Parking Structure
X. The Information Sessions will be held in
the Dean’s Conference Room, 308. Food will
be provided to all attendees.
For more information regarding the program, please visit: http://www.usc.edu/schools/
sppd/programs/masters/eml/
To R.S.V.P. and for additional information,
please contact Aliyah Levin at (310) 809-2977
or at [email protected]
Const Mgmt Training
Want to Learn ABC’s of Construction Management?
Wastewater Conveyance Construction Division will be hosting a 15-session Construction
Management Training Program, equivalent
to 3-unit class, starting Wednesday, January
9, 2008. Classes will be held every other week
and will be conducted on the 6th Floor of The
Public Works Building. The course topics
include: Bureau’s Construction Management philosophy, understanding General
Conditions and General Requirements, Construction Law and Claims and more. These
topics will help you gain knowledge and
skills needed to become a better construction
manager such as how to interpret the documents when there is a dispute, some hints for
constructability review, constructive notice,
compensable time extensions and differing
site conditions.
For more information and to enroll in
this training program, please call Sylvia
Sanchez at 6+847-0338 (x70338). Enrollment
is on a first come basis, with priority given to
those BOE employees who are currently doing construction management and to those
who are new to construction management
assignments.
P.E. Review Course at PWB
The American Society of Civil Engineers
Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch Younger
Member Forum (MLAB YMF) is offering
a Professional Engineering Exam Review
Course for the upcoming exam on April 11
and 12, 2008. Local practicing professional
engineers and university instructors will be
reviewing all five subjects covered on the 8hr exam as well as the engineering surveying
and seismic principles exams.
The course will be held from January 23rd
through the end of March. Classes will meet
on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6:30
- 9:30 pm at the City of Los Angeles Public
Works Building located at 1149 S. Broadway
Ave. in downtown Los Angeles.
For more information including costs and
registration information please e-mail Julia
Moye at [email protected].
PWB Brown Bag Seminars
Bureau of Engineering’s next Brown Bag
lunchtime seminar will be held in the PWB
7th Floor Conference Room. Stress, Depression and the Holidays: Preventing the
Blues, with Dr. Joseph Dadourian, will be on
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:00 noon.
Rescheduled from December 4th, Dr. Dadourian will address some of the following issues: Do you suffer from the classic signs of
the holiday blues? Do you feel lonely, empty
or sad? Are you dreading the temptation to
overindulge in food and spending sprees. Do
the holidays trigger sad memories or feelings of loss? Are there more arguments and
conflicts with your family members?
Page 7
Transfer Opportunities
The following transfer opportunities are
available. If you are interested, contact the office below by Tuesday, December 11, 2007:
Civil Engineering Associate III
Central - Eda Meredith
6+482-7057
LDG - Jeffrey Moore
(213) 977-6394
RCF - Donna Baylosis I,
6+978-1856
Valley - Mati Laan
(818) 374-5086
Civil Engineering Drafting Tech
SID - Edeliza Fang
6+485-4517
Harbor - Pablo Vasquez (310) 732-4694
Engineering Designer I
EED - Ivy Cook
(310) 648-6123
Management Analyst II
EED - Ivy Cook
(310) 648-6123
Office Engineering Technician I
Valley - Mati Laan
(818) 374-5086
Office Engineering Technician II
WLA - Juliet Ward
(310) 575-8640
Secretary
SED - Guen Davis
6+485-5413
Senior Clerk Typist
Geotech - Michele Crosby 6+847-0536
Structural Engineering Associate III
Seismic - Meiling Yang
6+202-5592
Arrivals
Arsenio Lagunzad, Hector Dino, Justin
Kent, Ghazwan Abdulahad, Susan Roberts, Rolando Romero, Somkait Supanyachotskul, Field Engineering Aide, Survey;
Janice Ly, Management Analyst I, WCC;
Jaime Magana, Mechanical Engineering
Associate II, EED.
Departures
Olivia Alvarez, Sr Systems Analyst I, transfer to ITA; Russel Guizado, Land Surveying
Assistant, transfer to DWP, Survey; Michael
Henderson, Architectural Associate II,
transfer to Airports, Arch; An Pham, Civil
Engineering Associate III, retired, Valley;
Douglas Yamaguchi, Management Analyst
II, transfer to Airports, EED; German Calas,
Engineering Designer I, transfer to Airports,
EED; Shilpa Gupta, Environmental Specialist II, transfer to DWP, Env Mgmt; Chris
Mihiar, Clerk Typist, resigned, ASD; Elizabeth Laskowska, CE Associate I, resigned,
WCED; Rafael Torralba, Engineering Designer I, SBG, transferred to Airports.
Promotions
John Saldin, Sr Civil Engineer, Prop O.
PWB Conference Rooms
Due to the extent of clean up of water in the
Sub-basement, the conference rooms will not
be available for use until January 2008.
DONE GM
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment General Manager Carol Baker Tharp
passed away on November 24, 2007. The
Mayor has named Assistant General Manager Bonghwan Kim as acting General
Manager.
BOS Assistant Directors
Bureau of Sanitation Director Enrique
Zaldivar has announced the appointment
of two Assistant Directors: Alex E. Helou
to head the Solids Resources Group and
Adel Hagekhalil to head the Wastewater
Collection/Watershed Group. He also announced an organization realignment. BOS’
Wastewater Engineering Services Division
will be moved from the Technical Services
Group headed by Assistant Director Varouj
Abkian and placed under the Wastewater
Collection/Watershed Group under Adel
Hagekhalil. The effective date of the Assistant Director appointments and the division
realignment is December 3, 2007. Appointment of one of the Assistant Directors to the
role of Executive Officer, which will be called
Operating Officer, will take place sometime
in the future.
Mileage for 2008
The IRS standard deduction for business
use of personal vehicle has been increased
to 50.5 cents per mile effective January 1,
2008, up 2 cents from the 48.5 cents per mile
in effect in 2007. The new rate is outlined in
Revenue Procedure 2007-192. Accordingly,
all employees, represented or not, who receive mileage reimbursement in accordance
with the IRS standard mileage rate should
begin receiving the new rate effective January 1, 2008.
PWB Loading Dock Hours
The Public Works Building Office of the
Building has announced that effective Monday December 3, 2007, the Loading Dock
business hours will be changing. The new
business hours are from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm,
Monday through Friday. If there are any deliveries scheduled after hours, please make
sure to notify the Office of the Building or
Building Security using the CBRE Tenant
Services website.
Additionally, please make note that the
alley area adjacent to the Loading Dock is
reserved for deliveries/pick ups at the Public
Works Building. Please advise your personnel that parking in this area is limited.
PAO Asks for Photos &
New Year Resolutions
The Public Works Public Affairs Offices is
asking for photos of any holiday parties/
celebrations hosted by the bureau, bureau
divisions, or offices for the Public Works
January newsletter.
In addition, they’d like to feature in the
next issue some employees’ New Year’s
resolutions for 2008. If you have a good
one (funny, fun, or touching), please send
them in. You can e-mail photos and resolutions directly to Stephanie M. Interiano,
Public Relations Specialist, Dept. of Public
Works, Public Affairs Office, at stephanie.
[email protected].
Floating Holidays
Have you taken your Floating Holiday yet?
Floating Holidays not taken by Monday,
December 31, 2007 will be lost. A Floating
Holiday is only 8 hours so if you are on the
9/80 or 4/10 schedule you must make up
the time by: Working an extra hour (or two)
in the same pay period; using vacation time;
or, for 9/80 employees, making the Floating
Holiday your short day. (Note: Non-FLSA
exempt employees can only adjust their
hours within their defined work week.)
In the past some employees have made
errors in the use of Floating Holidays which
caused their paychecks to be short. Don’t
let this happen to you - keep in mind the
following:
A Floating Holiday is only 8 hours and
must be taken in a full 8 hour increment.
For example, if an employee tries to charge
4 hours on two separate occasions, the first
instance removes the entire Floating Holiday credit and then the second instance of 4
hours will default to a No Pay condition.
Passing of Lee
We are sorry to report that retired Senior
Civil Engineer Walter B. Lee passed away
on November 28, 2007. He retired from the
Street Opening & Widening Division (now
Land Development Group) in 1984. Services
will be on Saturday, December 8, 2007, at
9:00 am at Sky Rose Chapel in Rose Hills
Memorial Park in Whittier. A reception will
be held after the services at a place to be
announced.
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
([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, December 13, 2007.
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