Inspectors

Re "Lessons From Tank's Failure," Nov. 23 editorial: Thank you for your investigation into the Westminster water tank failure. One small correction might be in order. The proper nomenclature for the missing reinforcement bars would be "hairpins." These bars are so named for their U shape and resemblance to ladies' hairpins. It is really a shame that so many cities and property owners will waive the proper inspection of reinforcement installation and concrete placement installation at precast manufacturing plants and on site in order to save a few thousand dollars.

AMMAN, Jordan - The United Nations' atomic watchdog agency said it was close to a deal giving inspectors access to some of Iran's disputed nuclear sites, providing a dose of optimism as diplomats prepared for new talks to overcome their standoff with the Islamic Republic. Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he expected to sign a deal with Iran "quite soon. " He spoke to reporters in Vienna after returning from Tehran -- the first time Iranian officials had been willing to meet with him in their capital since he became head of the agency in 2009.

A former Los Angeles city building inspector pleaded no contest to two counts of soliciting a bribe and was sentenced to one year in county jail and five years' felony probation, authorities said Friday. Bradley Andrews also received a suspended sentence of five years in state prison and was ordered to pay a $200 fine during a hearing Thursday at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles. "I certainly consider this a serious case," said Deputy Dist. Atty.

Marie Kolasinski, a devoutly anti-government Orange County grandmother who was sent to jail at 85 after clashing with health inspectors at her popular quilting and crafts emporium, has died. She was 90. Once dubbed "Che Kolasinski" by a local newspaper for her militant stands, she died of natural causes April 23 at her Costa Mesa home, said her daughter, Marjorie Serr. Kolasinski was the driving force behind a tiny Christian sect whose members live communally and operate Costa Mesa's Piecemakers Country Store, which occupies a warren of rooms jam-packed with homemade knick-knacks, quilts and craft supplies.

A Los Angeles Fire Department inspector was arrested Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe during a sting operation, Los Angeles Police Department officials said. Dennis Archie, 58, of Thousands Oaks was booked on suspicion of commercial bribery by detectives, said LAPD Officer Karen Smith. Police allege that Archie demanded and took a $500 bribe from a board and care facility operator to sign off on a compliance check to allow changes to be made to the facility.

Inspectors visited the Lavizan site in Tehran, where Washington suspects Iran carried out secret atomic weapons activities, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, said. In a telephone interview, he said inspectors took environmental samples at the site.

Jerry Thorton, deputy inspector general for the Los Angeles Unified School District, has been named acting inspector general, officials announced Monday. Thorton, a former FBI agent, was second-in-command in the district's internal investigative unit for four years. He temporarily takes over the top post after the resignation of Don Mullinax, who is leaving this month after five years in the job.

A veteran Sierra Madre building inspector who had considered suing the city after officials had him followed by a private investigator has dropped his plans to pursue litigation, a city official and the inspector's wife said Thursday. City officials acknowledge that they paid a private investigation firm $1,400 to keep an eye on Stephen Pock, a city building inspector for 11 years, after allegations by residents and colleagues that he was not putting in a full day's work.

Since launching the Community Preservation Department more than 10 years ago, city inspectors have been focusing their attention on residential neighborhoods. The effort has significantly cut down on eyesores, such as recurring garage sales, and building violations, according to a city report. Residents and city officials now say the city's commercial areas could use the same attention.

Residents may soon volunteer as junior city inspectors under a proposal introduced Wednesday by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick. Under Chick's plan, volunteers would be trained to catch code violations in their neighborhoods and collect such evidence as photographs of the violations to be turned over to city inspectors. "In an era of fiscal constrains, the city must embrace more creative ways of enforcing its codes," said Chick, who represents parts of the west San Fernando Valley.

WASHINGTON — The government's watchdog for the $700-billion Troubled Asset Relief Program disputed suggestions the bailout fund would turn a profit for taxpayers and warned that many small banks are still struggling to repay. "It is a widely held misconception that TARP will make a profit," said a report by Christy Romero, the special inspector general for TARP. The Obama administration has said TARP has turned a profit on about $205 billion injected into banks, but still projects losses for the entire fund.

WASHINGTON - It was a simple scam: Coleen Newton-White, a government contractor, and her husband would take General Services Administration credit cards from the motor pool at Ft. Monroe, Va., and use them to sell fuel at a discount to cash customers who pulled up to service stations five at a time. Between 2008 and 2010, the scheme netted the couple almost $300,000, according to court records. Although the gas scheme is a world away from the nearly $823,000 spent on a lavish Las Vegas-area conference put on by GSA official Jeff Neely - including a mind reader, sushi and in-room parties - it is an example of the fraud that the procurement and property management agency faces regularly.

WASHINGTON — The General Services Administration's inspector general is investigating possible kickbacks and bribes in an agency already shaken by a scandal over a pricey Las Vegas-area conference, he told a congressional hearing Monday. In response to questions from Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Brian Miller said he was investigating "all sorts of improprieties, including bribes, possibly kickbacks. " "We do have other ongoing investigations," Miller said, adding that witnesses told him waste was "widespread" in the GSA's Pacific Rim region, which staged the Las Vegas-area conference for nearly $823,000 in 2010.

The city of Los Angeles could get an additional $350 million in savings and additional revenue by going after uncollected fees, better managing properties and contracting with local businesses, according to a series of reports released Thursday. The recommendations were made by a volunteer commission appointed by the City Council in 2010. The seven-member group also strongly recommended that city leaders appoint an inspector general to oversee collections. Los Angeles officials have been trying to hire someone for the position for more than a year.

FBI agents probing allegations of bribe-taking at the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety have obtained records and questioned individuals about a soft-spoken building inspector who retired from his post nearly a year ago. Federal investigators have interviewed current and former department employees about Samuel In, a Korean-speaking employee who had been assigned to Koreatown and nearby neighborhoods. Building and Safety officials have responded to a grand jury request for documents on In, who quit his job last May, two days after he was placed on administrative leave amid an internal corruption investigation.

As a senior city housing inspector, Ronald Diaz's job is to be an impartial, frontline guardian of safe and habitable apartment living in Los Angeles. But according to testimony and statements given to city and state officials, Diaz also allegedly improperly moonlighted as an unlicensed contractor with some unorthodox billing practices: A North Hills woman accused him of offering a $1,000 discount if she would send him a text message with a picture of her bare breasts — and upping the offer to $2,000 when she ignored him. Diaz, 49, was charged Dec. 30 with five misdemeanor counts, including grand theft, attempted grand theft and contracting without a license.

County building inspectors continued their work slowdown Friday amid conflicting reports of how effective it has been. A spokesman for the inspectors, who claim that they are overworked and deserve a raise, said the slowdown already has affected home builders, who are having trouble getting final inspections on houses as quickly as buyers are ready to move in. Homes that have not passed final inspection cannot be occupied.

The U.S. Customs Service says it plans to place an additional 120 inspectors along the California-Mexico border, but authorities say little immediate relief is in sight to alleviate the frustrating traffic delays that plague the busy crossings.

Reporting from Desert Hot Springs, Calif. -- Briefcase in hand, Steve Allen knocks on the back door of Rose Mortuary and Crematory. He's been on the road for two hours, and it's a little before 9; the late-autumn sun paints the distant cliffs of Mt. San Jacinto yellow and gold. Manager Thomas Moen is surprised by the visit. He glances about to make sure that the consumer guide and price lists are displayed as required by law. "How ya doing?" Allen's voice projects a robust exuberance.

Three years ago, landlord John Callaghan was granted city permits to enlarge a South Los Angeles single family home, creating three apartments. But he didn't stop there. He crammed as many as 44 rental rooms into a warren of narrow hallways, tiny, shared bathrooms and communal kitchens. Now, as the holidays approach, dozens of renters who paid as much as $500 per unit are being ordered to vacate the burnt orange three-story complex, in a neighborhood about a mile from the Coliseum.