EDITORIAL : IN CONTEMPT OF TAXPAYERS; THE COUNTY BUNGLED COURTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION, AND RESIDENTS PAY THE PRICE.THE Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley is desperate for a new courthouse, but county officials say it won't get one until 2012. Meanwhile, residents in Chatsworth who vigorously oppose a new courthouse because they don't like the location are getting one within four years. Is there any level of government that works in L.A. County? If the county had properly managed its resources and had realistic financing plans to complete the work before it made substantial commitments to build courthouses, perhaps both could be built today. Instead, the county's in an untenable position of having to delay construction on a courthouse where it's critically needed and move forward on one that can wait. This fiasco is shared by many, but none more than the elected county supervisors entrusted with policy and oversight
Oversight may refer to:
The county claims they were forced to build the next courthouse in Chatsworth, even though the need is greater in the Antelope Valley, because state law dictates the order of construction. While that's true, the county has spent a total of $78 million on new courthouses within the past 10 years and doesn't have a single courtroom to show for it, as the Daily News first reported in July. What officials do have are excuses - lots and lots of them. A bad economy, the Northridge Earthquake The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6. , construction delays, you name it. Money should have been set aside for courts, but it wasn't. Instead, the county made substantial commitments to build, although it lacked realistic financing plans to complete the work. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the county went ahead with plans that later had to be expanded, changed and updated. Change orders are costly. The county keeps paying for plans. So far, the county has spent about $20 million to buy land and pay for construction design for the Chatsworth courthouse and spent $10.4 million on land and plans for the Antelope Valley courthouse. When are residents going to see the product? In the meantime, Antelope Valley residents have to travel 70 miles or more one way to go to court for civil cases because Lancaster's 34-year-old courthouse is jammed by criminal cases. If Antelope Valley were built before Chatsworth, it would relieve overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. at the Van Nuys courthouse, and it might alleviate Alleviate To make something easier to be endured. Mentioned in: Kinesiology, Applied the need to build a courthouse in Chatsworth, at least for a while. We're still waiting for the results of a state audit requested last year by Assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. George Runner George C. Runner, Jr. (born March 25 1952 in Scotia, New York) is a Republican California State Senator, who represents the 17th Senate District, which includes portions of Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County and Ventura County. , R-Lancaster, into the waste and inefficiency in the county's courthouse construction program. We hope the auditors AUDITORS, practice. Persons lawfully appointed to examine and digest accounts referred to them, take down the evidence in writing, which may be lawfully offered in relation to such accounts, and prepare materials on which a decree or judgment may be made; and to report the whole, together will investigate the inordinate number of changes that were made along the way that substantially increased the scope, and the cost, of the work. Maybe the auditors can teach the county how to use taxpayer money more wisely. |
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