CITY CHARGES MTA WITH RELEASE OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES.Byline: Dan Laidman Staff Writer In a rare legal move, the Los Angeles city attorney The Los Angeles City Attorney is an elected official whose job is to prosecute all of the misdemeanor criminal offenses within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. charged the county Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday with illegally discharging pollutants into the city's storm drain storm drain n. 1. A storm sewer. 2. A catch basin. system. The agency is accused of violating state law by releasing toxic substances into the system near the Vermont/Beverly Metro station For the band, see . A metro station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines they are multi-level. . ``We want to make sure it's cleaned up before it becomes a potential risk,'' said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the City Attorney's Office. While it is common for the city to prosecute businesses for pollution violations, the charges likely represent the first case in which a California city has sought such criminal penalties against a county agency, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a press release from the office of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo Rockard John "Rocky" Delgadillo (born July 15 1960) is the current City Attorney of Los Angeles, California. Career
The charges surprised MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. officials because the agency reported the excessive discharges itself, spokesman Marc Littman said. ``We're the ones who reported it to the proper authorities in the first place,'' he said. ``We resolved it and we'll work cooperatively with the City Attorney's Office to provide them with the documentation to resolve the issue.'' The discharges were related to the heavy rainfall in December and January, Littman said. Normally runoff water at the Red Line station would go through sewer pipes to a treatment plant, he said, but the strong rains filled the pipes beyond capacity and some water went into the storm drains. ``That situation has long been corrected,'' Littman said. Neither city prosecutors nor the water quality officials who referred the case to them would say Tuesday why they sought such unusual criminal charges instead of a civil remedy CIVIL REMEDY, practice. This term is used in opposition to the remedy given by indictment in a criminal case, and signifies the remedy which the law gives to the party against the offender. 2. . Mateljan referred such questions to the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. That agency monitors pollutant levels to ensure that toxic substances do not reach the Pacific Ocean via the Ballona Creek or Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River is an intermittent river flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. . ``We do in some instances decide the most appropriate course is for us to issue administrative civil liabilities, and other times it's more appropriate for us to work with a District Attorney's Office or a City Attorney's Office,'' said Jonathan Bishop, the executive officer of the water board. Bishop declined, though, to say why this case merited the latter. He did say the MTA has had 34 related violations over a three-year period, and that in general his agency will prioritize enforcement if there are repeat violations. The nine counts each carry penalties ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. Dan Laidman, (213) 978-0390 dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com |
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