Bob Margett

Republican Bob Margett, California's newest assemblyman, has hired as his chief of staff a longtime lobbyist for gun owners who controlled campaign donations for one of the most aggressive pro-gun groups in the state. Margett (R-Arcadia), who won election Tuesday and was sworn in Wednesday, appointed John Stoos as his chief of staff in Sacramento.

Locked in a bitter fight to win the Democratic Party nomination in the 29th state Senate District, candidates Richard Melendez and Steve Herfert reflect a new wave of grass-roots politics stretching across a swath of east Los Angeles County from Sierra Madre to La Mirada. Both serve on the City Council in West Covina, a diverse city that reflects the changing demographics of the San Gabriel Valley.

No candidate received a majority of the vote in Tuesday's special election, setting up a runoff to fill the Assembly's 59th District seat, which opened up as a result of the political maneuvering that enabled Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) to retain his leadership post. Republican Bob Margett, an Arcadia councilman and developer, finished well ahead of eight other GOP candidates to qualify for a June 6 runoff. He will face Democrat Brent A.

In your Dec. 16 editorial, you chose to blame most of MTA's ailments on the agency's chief executive officer. The CEO, while a very important person to the corporate structure, answers to the board of directors. In this case the corporation is the taxpayer's MTA. The ultimate responsibility for the direction of the corporation (MTA) lies with its board of directors. During this past legislative session, I authorized a bill to reform the MTA board, giving independent cities a stronger voice in planning and implementing transportation policy in our vast, diverse county of Los Angeles.

In your Dec. 16 editorial, you chose to blame most of MTA's ailments on the agency's chief executive officer. The CEO, while a very important person to the corporate structure, answers to the board of directors. In this case the corporation is the taxpayer's MTA. The ultimate responsibility for the direction of the corporation (MTA) lies with its board of directors. During this past legislative session, I authorized a bill to reform the MTA board, giving independent cities a stronger voice in planning and implementing transportation policy in our vast, diverse county of Los Angeles.

Locked in a bitter fight to win the Democratic Party nomination in the 29th state Senate District, candidates Richard Melendez and Steve Herfert reflect a new wave of grass-roots politics stretching across a swath of east Los Angeles County from Sierra Madre to La Mirada. Both serve on the City Council in West Covina, a diverse city that reflects the changing demographics of the San Gabriel Valley.

In vote after vote, the Arcadia City Council was deadlocked on a replacement for Bob Margett, elected to the state Assembly earlier this month. Two members wanted a planning commissioner to replace Margett, two others wanted a past council candidate. Their compromise: Peter Ulrich, a relative unknown who was not even in the running last week. He was their unanimous choice Tuesday.

Gov. Gray Davis has signed legislation that will once again require a minimum of three people in vehicles using the El Monte Busway diamond lane during peak commuting hours. Davis signed the law on Monday. Transit officials on Wednesday were hoping to have the new minimum requirements in place by the end of the month and to see an end to delays that have plagued the San Bernardino Freeway busway since the beginning of the year.

As lawmakers were wrapping up their work Friday, Gov. Gray Davis was already scrutinizing their efforts, deciding which measures to sign and veto. He has until Oct. 14 to act on hundreds of bills. Some that received his signature Friday: * Legislation to bar employers from requiring that only English is spoken in a workplace unless they can prove it is essential to the "safe and efficient" operation of the business.

With committee votes last week on paddling graffiti vandals and lifting the motorcycle helmet law, the Legislature has gotten its sillies out. Now it's time for serious proposals. Enter the proposed California Air Conditioner Protection Act of 1996. After all, the state Air Resources Board last month postponed California's electric vehicle mandate and the Legislature voted last week to block the impending ban on the pesticide methyl bromide.

Republican Bob Margett, California's newest assemblyman, has hired as his chief of staff a longtime lobbyist for gun owners who controlled campaign donations for one of the most aggressive pro-gun groups in the state. Margett (R-Arcadia), who won election Tuesday and was sworn in Wednesday, appointed John Stoos as his chief of staff in Sacramento.

No candidate received a majority of the vote in Tuesday's special election, setting up a runoff to fill the Assembly's 59th District seat, which opened up as a result of the political maneuvering that enabled Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) to retain his leadership post. Republican Bob Margett, an Arcadia councilman and developer, finished well ahead of eight other GOP candidates to qualify for a June 6 runoff. He will face Democrat Brent A.

The state Senate Transportation Committee has a reject-without-reading policy in place that stops most new special-interest license plate bills from being voted on. One stalled bill is AB 1515, the "Veterans License Plates for Motorcycles" bill, introduced by Assemblyman Bob Margett (R-Arcadia) with 20 bipartisan coauthors. This is not even a new type of plate, but merely an expansion of an already existing plate that is allowed on cars, trucks and trailers--expanding that list to include motorcycles.

According to recent press reports, Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer (R-Irvine) was the only Republican, of the 13 on the Assembly Appropriations Committee, to vote against a proposed state ban against partial-birth abortions. The proper, and only honest term for this act, is infanticide. During the presentation of the proposal by its sponsor, Assemblyman Bob Margett (R-Arcadia), Brewer stopped him and could not brook his attempts to physically describe the nature of this crime. Why does this bother Brewer so much?