The Star-News from Chula Vista, California • Page 3

Peace rips PUG 'Second Price Auction' State Sen. Steve Peace confronted California officials during a Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee hearing held last week about the results of a recently completed Public Utilities Committee auction. "The PUC should simply award the contracts to the lowest bidders at the lowest price bid. Allowing the 'second price' windfall to be passed on to these bidders is absurd. Why should utility ratepayers be forced to pay the additional millions of dollars above the bid as required by the second price auction rules?" Peace, who along with others was highly critical of the auction concept when it was first proposed by the PUC staff, said in the statement that the commissioners now have one last chance to save ratepayers millions of dollars.

needs, according to a statement Peace confronted PUC and Energy Commission representatives with data which indicates that, if left unchanged, the auction will result in San Diego ratepayers paying 33 percent more than Southern California Edison ratepayers for the same power, the announcement said. "Even worse, there is at "least circumstantial evidence that the bid process itself may have been comprised by prior communication between the bidders," Peace said. Peace said that if not reversed, the auction results would cost, a company like Chula Vista's Rohr Inc. more than $100,000 per year in unnecessarily higher utility bills. The 'Second Price Auction" was a controversial ana complex process adopted by the PUC to select suppliers for new utility energy ferns 5Iol i i Extension of State Route 54 included in Caltrans plans At a news conference last week, California Department of Transportation District 11 Director Gary Gallegos announced highway construction plans for 1994, which include the extension of State Route 54 from Reo Drive to east of Briarwood Road.

The first phase of the project which widened two miles of Route 54 between Interstate 805 to a newly aligned Reo Drive was completed in October last year. This next phase of construction which includes interchanges at both Woodman Street and Briarwood Drive, is slated to begin in May. Caltrans also announced that the 1-805 Sweetwater River bridge to SR 54 will be included in a $750 million statewide earthquake retrofit program. The program is aimed at strengthening bridges in the event of an earthquake. Construction will focus on wrapping steel reinforcement shields around the columns of bridges with a single-column design.

Also bridge footings will be enlarged and strengthened. The estimated cost of strengthening the Sweetwater River bridge to SR-54 is $4 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring. Jail-A-Thon will benefit Cancer Society CHUiXVlSTA Some unexpected "arrests" will be made from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 1 through Feb. 4. A Jail-A-Thon, traditionally the American Cancer Society's most successful fund-raising event, is once again taking custody of jailbirds such as civic leaders, bosses and employees. The arrested jailbirds are picked up by one of the Jail-A-Thon deputies anywhere in the county.

They will have make phone calls to friends, family and associates to bail them out of the so-called jails with pledges. The nearest jail location for those in the South Bay is at the Chula Vista Center. South Bay jailbirds will include Councilman Jerry Rindone and Tom Gammiere of Scripps Hospital's administration. For information, call 291 -J AIL. Jury convicts gang member in shooting of man in the leg After two days of deliberation, a jury declared a man guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for shooting another man in the leg.

Roberto Vasquez, a documented gang member, was found guilty Jan. 31 in South Bay Court of assault with a gun with a personal use and bodily injury allegation and for possession of a firearm, by a felon, said prosecutor JJarti Martins of. the Countywide Gang and Drug Task Force. Sentencing will take place March 7 before Superior Court Judge Jesus Rodriguez in Department A of the South Bay Courthouse. Vasquez faces a maximum sentence of 18 years and 8 months in prison, Martins said.

On Sept 11, 1993 Vasquez fired multiple shots at a man near a convenience store in the Nestor area at the corner of Hollister and Ingrid streets with a .357 Martins The suffered an in and out wound to the left thigh. fl PERM SPECIALl BY APPOINTMENT 0 JESSICA, Y0LANDA OR SU $17K indudes Swoo A o'y Stiff photo Ie Mo Bertha Carbajal, with her daughter, Vanessa, 7, protests the shooting death of her husband, Jaime Carbajal. Famlty and friends gathered In support of the Carbajal family In front Of the National City Police Department on Monday. Jaime was shot by two officers who were responding to a domestic dispute call. Demonstrators Monday were demanding the creation of an Independent civilian review board to oversee the Internal Investigation conducted by the Police Department regarding the Incident.

Armed men rob San Vsidro taco shop ifflOTiEil lif Jrc 1 CiuMtTCCnS MISMATCHED 41 SECONDS rlOOtesrsixK kJU IU PR HF The men, who used chrome colored handguns, were described to be between 22 to 25 years old. One man was wearing a red jacket," blue'shirt and jeansThe" second man was wearing a brown jacket Both men were last seen running toward Beyer Boulevard, Robinson said. SAN YSIDRO Two men robbed the Roberto's Taco Shop at gunpoint last weekend. At 8:15 p.rri:Jan.'29 two males entered the restaurant, at 492 West San Ysidro Boulevard and robbed the clerk of cash, said Bill Robinson, spokesman for the San Diego Police Department. QUEEN BEAUTYRESn KING BEAUTYRE! causa oasD A AG3, ZSe, 311? tkJ Set Set Set i TWIN SETS pa FULL SETS ticpi 1 Play two for one on the best new ccnnsiice A a Special 39 $8." Shampoo and Set PRICES ARE GOOD ANY DAY! 5 Exolr 2-28-34 I NOCHARGE FOOVALOFOLDBED I filer SJ4Q7 DELIVERY SETUP REAL DEL MAR course under the sun.

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