Smog Check Program

On one side are federal bureaucrats unleashed by President Clinton's feisty new environmental leader and eager to send a stern message to a stubborn, smoggy state. On the other are California politicians of both parties reluctant to alienate motorists and thousands of small business operators. In a high-stakes game of chicken that is shaping up to be one of the nastiest confrontations spurred by the federal Clean Air Act, state legislators and the U.S.

California and Washington really can communicate--once in a while. And when they do, it usually makes for fewer standoffs and better public policy. To meet the stringent new federal air quality goals mandated by the Clean Air Act of 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been pushing California to scrap its existing Smog Check program and come up with what the EPA considers a better system by Nov. 15.

Five people, including a technician at a Bell auto shop, have been arrested in a weeklong raid on smog-check sites in Los Angeles County. The scheme allegedly involved the sale of certificates to commercial fleet operators such as taxi companies and used-car dealers who wanted to ensure that vehicles that might not meet state smog requirements would be certified as clean, said Jim Schoning, director of the Bureau of Automotive Repair. Sergio Guevara, 31, was arrested at Bell Radiators, 4410 E.

Three people, including a technician at a Bell auto shop, have been arrested in a weeklong raid on smog-check sites in Los Angeles County. The scheme allegedly involved the sale of phony certificates to commercial fleet operators such as taxi companies and used-car dealers who wanted to ensure that vehicles that might not meet state smog requirements would be certified as clean, said Jim Schoning, director of the Bureau of Automotive Repair.

To comply with federal clean air standards, California has until Nov. 15 to overhaul its 9-year-old automobile Smog Check program or risk cuts in federal highway funding and stricter air pollution requirements for new factories. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires a centralized testing program, with separate test and repair facilities and a maximum cost of $450 to bring cars into emission compliance. A bill introduced by Sen.

A discussion of cars and clean air Monday drew participants from across California, including dozens from Chatsworth, in an unusual legislative hearing broadcast on interactive cable television. The high-tech hearing was called "a prototype for the future . . . to bring government back to the people" by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), who chaired the meeting of the Assembly Transportation Committee from Sacramento.

Two mechanics nabbed in a state sting of auto-repair shops that distributed fake smog-check certificates have been sentenced to jail, although one may serve no time behind bars. Max Banuelos, 23, a mechanic at Mad's Auto Repair in the 800 block of West Florence Avenue, was sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading no contest to one count of computer fraud in March.

On a warm Wednesday in Fresno, a day when smog obscured the view of the nearby southern Sierra, three cars drove into a Highway Patrol roadblock and had their pollution levels tested by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair. Which was the cleanest? * The 1985 Honda Accord driven by a housewife who considers herself an environmentalist, recycles bottles and cans and had her car tuned up just over a month ago?

The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warned Gov. Pete Wilson on Wednesday that the Smog Check program now being considered by the state Legislature must be toughened significantly or the state will face federal sanctions. In a letter also signed by Secretary of Transportation Federico Pena, EPA Administrator Carol M.

Sometimes an elected official undertakes a lost cause because it is the right thing to do. State Sen. Robert Presley (D-Riverside) has introduced legislation to improve the state's automobile smog-check program. SB 119 is a well-crafted response to Congress' decision in the Clean Air Act of 1990 to outlaw ineffective smog-check programs. Without this bill, California is headed for a major confrontation with the Environmental Protection Agency.