CITY COUNCIL* CAR DONATION--Voted to accept Kaiser...

CITY COUNCIL

* CAR DONATION--Voted to accept Kaiser Permanente’s donation to the Los Angeles Police Department of five automobiles. The cars, 1991 and ’92 four-door sedans, will be used as unmarked vehicles by detectives. Due to budget constraints in recent years, the LAPD has not purchased any unmarked cars.

* UNLICENSED DRIVERS--Voted to support, with one suggestion, state legislation that would authorize law enforcement officers to impound the vehicles of motorists who lack a driver’s license or whose licenses have been suspended or revoked. The council recommended that the bill, AB 3148, be amended to give drivers with expired licenses a 60-day grace period before their vehicles are impounded (the measure currently calls for a 30-day grace period). Presently, drivers who are found to be without a proper license are ticketed. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, there are about 1.7 million drivers in the state who have never obtained a license or whose license is suspended or revoked. Statistics show that such drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than licensed drivers.

HOW THEY VOTED

* AIDS RENTAL ASSISTANCE--Voted to extend a contract with three human service agencies that provide persons with AIDS a one-time rental assistance of $500 or $1,000. The $731,000 contract, which was originally approved in 1991, will require no extra funding because the agencies, to date, have given out only $550,000. The contractors--Aid for A.I.D.S, El Centro Human Services and the Minority AIDS Project--have had some difficulty dispensing the funds since eligibility is restricted to low-income people. Any money remaining at the conclusion of the contract on Dec. 31 will be funneled into AIDS prevention projects. Passed 14-0.

Voting yes: John Ferraro, Marvin Braude, Zev Yaroslavsky, Ruth Galanter, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Nate Holden, Jackie Goldberg.