Los Angeles County Government Buildings

Traces of chromium, arsenic and lead were found in drinking water at hundreds of county buildings and in popular bottled water brands, but not in amounts exceeding government standards, according to test results released Wednesday by Los Angeles County. The tests conducted by the county's environmental toxicology bureau were ordered earlier this year by the Board of Supervisors after high levels of chromium 6 were found during an analysis of water from 100 county-owned buildings and wells.

Soon after the new Los Angeles Airport Courthouse opened in December, dozens of employees in the 10-story glass and steel structure reported such health problems as chronic headaches, rashes, fatigue, breathing difficulties and general malaise. County officials, worried about the $107-million building, sent a team of environmental consultants to conduct a series of exhaustive chemical tests and one-on-one confidential interviews with employees.

Tap water tests at 100 Los Angeles County facilities found what one official called "excessive" levels of chromium 6, a suspected carcinogen, but officials cautioned that results are preliminary and additional testing is needed. The tests, conducted at fire stations, health centers, courthouses and other county-owned buildings, found chromium 6 levels ranging from trace amounts to as high as 7.

The County Board of Supervisors Tuesday agreed to accept $8.4 million from a construction company to settle a long-running dispute over allegedly shoddy work on the Twin Towers jail. The settlement of the lawsuit against Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc. also calls for the firm to provide $500,000 in free services to the county, according to county documents.

Los Angeles County has broken ground on a $110-million courthouse project in Lancaster that will be developed by Century City-based MBK Southern California Ltd. The 370,000-square-foot courthouse will have 15 courtrooms and the capacity to add six more. MBK will manage an $80-million contract for construction of the courthouse and 1,100 parking spaces. The county will put the remaining $30 million into off-site improvements, said Andy Trachman, president of MBK Southern California.

Expansion of the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall into the nation's largest youth detention facility is more than two years behind schedule, delayed by a combination of construction troubles, miscommunications and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In response, frustrated Los Angeles County officials this month have taken the unusual step of fining the project contractor $5,000 a day until the 160-room expansion is completed.

In response to repeated complaints from Olvera Street merchants, the Los Angeles City Council is seeking a solution to three deteriorating 19th century buildings that have become an eyesore. On Tuesday, the council approved a motion asking the Board of Supervisors to take steps to repair or demolish the county-owned buildings, located across the street from Olvera Street.

Politicians like to boast about how good they are at cutting the fat in government bureaucracy. Too bad they can't cut some of the fat of those government burgers. Greasy hamburgers are a common denominator at cafeterias in government office buildings across Los Angeles, according to an informal, unscientific comparison of lunchrooms by The Times. And why not?

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday accepted a $53-million settlement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for repairs on county facilities damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, ending a multiyear dispute. By accepting FEMA's offer, supervisors decided not to go to court to try and obtain the more than $700 million that county officials had believed they were entitled to under a strict reading of federal law.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday accepted a $53-million settlement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for repairs to county facilities damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, ending a multiyear dispute. By accepting FEMA's offer, the supervisors decided not to go to court to seek the more than $700 million officials had believed the county was entitled to under a strict reading of federal law.