Tom Tidemanson

The best political show in town is playing on Tuesday mornings at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration. That's when Supervisor Gloria Molina tears apart the bureaucrats. But as officials writhe in embarrassment from Molina's assault, you might ask whether the performance is all show and cheap shots. Or is Molina at last beginning a serious examination of a huge and secretive county government that has long needed reform?

Los Angeles County Public Works director Thomas A. Tidemanson will retire in March after more than 38 years of county service, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. Tidemanson, who has served as director of the Department of Public Works since 1985, previously was the county's road commissioner. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Tidemanson, who earns $157,586 a year, oversees a department of more than 3,800 employees and a budget of $700 million.

Los Angeles County Public Works director Thomas A. Tidemanson will retire in March after more than 38 years of county service, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. Tidemanson, who has served as director of the Department of Public Works since 1985, previously was the county's road commissioner. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Tidemanson, who earns $157,586 a year, oversees a department of more than 3,800 employees and a budget of $700 million.

The best political show in town is playing on Tuesday mornings at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration. That's when Supervisor Gloria Molina tears apart the bureaucrats. But as officials writhe in embarrassment from Molina's assault, you might ask whether the performance is all show and cheap shots. Or is Molina at last beginning a serious examination of a huge and secretive county government that has long needed reform?

Mayor Jozelle Smith has been appointed to the 17-member Los Angeles County Solid Waste Management Committee. The committee, chaired by county Department of Public Works Director Tom Tidemanson, acts as an advisory body to the County Board of Supervisors, with its immediate assignment the revision of the county's Solid Waste Management Plan. Smith has recently been involved in promoting a recycling program in Culver City.

Los Angeles County supervisors Tuesday awarded a contract for seismic retrofitting on the San Gabriel Dam. Upland-based Advanco Constructors won a $2.2-million job to reinforce the outlet tower of the San Gabriel Dam with structural steel and concrete. The firm's bid was $932,871 higher than what county staff had estimated it would cost to do the work, said Public Works Director Tom Tidemanson. The contract requires Advanco to complete the retrofitting in 75 working days.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 today to require all transit companies with county contracts to establish mandatory drug testing programs for their employees. The board's action may have some impact on the Southern California Rapid Transit District, which contracts with the county for subsidized bus service along some beach routes and to the Hollywood Bowl.

A$720,000 construction project to significantly reduce the flood hazard to homes and two bridges on Little Tujunga Wash north of Hansen Dam has been approved by the county Board of Supervisors. The county plans to deepen the wash by five feet, excavating 71,000 cubic feet of material from nine acres north of the Foothill Boulevard and Foothill Freeway bridges, which cross the wash.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn called Friday for merging the governing boards of the Southern California Rapid Transit District and the county Transportation Commission into a single agency, despite a gubernatorial veto that killed a similar plan last year.

The Local Agency Formation Commission should not approve Malibu's incorporation proposal without imposing a condition that Los Angeles County retain jurisdiction over sewers in the coastal area, a top county official told the panel Wednesday. Tom Tidemanson, director of the county Department of Public Works, told LAFCO commissioners that the condition was necessary to offset the "negative impacts" outlined in a draft environmental impact report being reviewed by the state panel.

Comarco, an Anaheim-based defense engineering services contractor, was awarded a contract by the Board of Supervisors here Tuesday to manage five general aviation airports in Los Angeles County. The contract could be worth $8 million a year, or as much as $160 million over its 20-year life. The board approved the contract by a 3-2 margin, despite objections from some pilots and unions. The supervisors have been moving toward private operation of county services.

After months of delays and political maneuvering, the state Local Agency Formation Commission on Wednesday moved the beachfront community of Malibu a big step forward in its drive to become an incorporated city. Besides approving Malibu's cityhood petition, the commission rejected a request by Los Angeles County to retain control over sewers even if residents vote to become a city.