News Briefs

Laird recognized for water conservation

State Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), whose district includes South County, has received an award for his water conservation work.

Laird is the first legislator to receive the Mike Moynanhan Excellence Award for Statewide Innovation in the award’s 8-year history. The California Urban Water Conservation Council, which gives the awards, chose Laird for the water conservation-related bills he introduced, including A.B. 715, which established California as the first state to require installation of high-efficiency toilets and urinals over the next seven years.

“Your leadership in water conservation has been a boon for California,” the award’s inscription reads. “You are an example to the country, striking fear in water wasters everywhere.”

County continues warrant-clearing program

Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies are offering a holiday gift to residents with outstanding traffic or non-violent misdemeanor warrants. They can turn themselves in at any county law enforcement agency up until Dec. 31.

The law enforcement agencies across the county include the Morgan Hill Police Department and the South County Sheriff’s Office substaton in San Martin. Those who participate will be immediately released with no jail time. Last year, according to Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Don Morrissey, 299 people avoided spending time in jail because of the warrant-clearing program.

San Jose mayor lobbies for bullet train

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed was in Sacramento Wednesday to lobby the California High-Speed Rail Authority to select the Pacheco Pass route to connect the Bay Area and Southern California.

The authority was to consider a preferred network alternative, high-speed train route alignment and station locations for the Bay Area to Central Valley. The recommendation was to set the line through Pacheco Pass and into San Jose, where it will travel up each side of San Francisco Bay to the cities of San Francisco and Oakland. 

$1.15M grant seeks traffic improvements

The state Office of Traffic Safety has earmarked the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to receive $1.15 million in funds through Sept. 30, 2010 to continue running Traffic Safe Communities Network programs.

TSCN is a countywide coalition of public health and traffic safety professionals working together to prevent and control traffic-related injuries, fatalities, and health care costs. The programs include the Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Courts in Schools, Stop on Red campaign, Safe Routes to School, and Juvenile Traffic Diversion.

Perchlorate cleanup order officially issued to Olin Corp.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

The signing of the Olin Corp. perchlorate cleanup and abatement order Monday by the executive officer of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board means the order is in effect.

A copy of the order was sent to a P.O. box address in Charleston, Tenn., for the Environmental Remediation Group of Olin Corp., the company that manufactured road flares at its Morgan Hill facility and discharged perchlorate, a toxic salt, that seeped into the groundwater. The facility was shuttered in 2000.

The seven-member board authorized executive officer Roger W. Briggs to issue the order at the conclusion of a marathon hearing Dec. 7 in San Luis Obispo attended by the city manager and mayor of Morgan Hill, as well as representatives from Gilroy and Olin. The meeting lasted more than five hours.

Water district to pay interim CEO $126,000

The Santa Clara Valley Water District board of directors on Tuesday approved an employment agreement with interim Chief Executive Officer Olga Martin-Steele that will pay her $126,000 for six months. 

Martin-Steele’s start date is Jan. 14. She was appointed last week to fill a vacancy created when CEO and general manager Stan Williams’ announced that he will retire Jan. 31. 

Martin-Steele will not receive benefits, but her compensation includes payment in lieu of them, as well as payment for relocation expenses. 

Before accepting the job, Martin-Steele had been a Gov. Schwarzenegger-appointee to serve as chief deputy director for the State Council on Developmental Disabilities.