The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 21

IIM ANU I I liMIS IIIUKSDAY. DI CIiMltl 2H, IW B3 Vallev News Siin Fernanda Santa Clarita Contjo, Simi and Antelope Valleys Judge Refuses to Drop Charges in 'Pay or Die' Extortion Case By SEBASTIAN ROTELLA TIMKS STAFF WNirF.it A San Fernando Superior Court judge refused Wednesday to dismiss charges against two men accused of mailing extortion letters to hundreds of prominent Antelope Valley residents, saying the prosecution has convinced him the defendants arc guilty and the defense must now prove otherwise. Judge Ronald S. Coen rejected a defense motion to dismiss the case on the 12th day of the trial of Richard Faroni and Roman Makuch, two former Iancastcr aerospace technicians charged with attempted extortion and conspiracy. At least 267 "pay-or-die" letters, mailed in November, 1988, demanded millions of dollars from victims.

No money was ever col lected. Coen is hearing the case without a jury, at the request of the defense. The law thus requires him to apply a higher standard of evidence in weighing the dismissal motion than he would in a jury trial, Coen said. "The standard is whether I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt," Coen said. "I am convinced that they are guilty." He compared the extortion scheme to a childlike fantasy, or something out of Soldier of Fortune magazine.

The ruling rebuffed the central defense argument that the evidence, which Deputy Dist Atty. Stephen I Coolcy has described as circumstantial and diverse, did not connect Makuch and Faroni to the extortion scheme and therefore did not require refutation. And it sets the stage for the potentially dramatic climax of a bizarre case that caused a furor in the Antelope Valley: testimony by Makuch and Faroni, whom witnesses have described as intelligent, eccentric loners who lived in a cloak-and-dagger world of their own making. Coolcy said he looks forward to cross-examining Makuch and Faroni, who have spent more than a year in jail and face eight years in prison if convicted. "Wc are over a major hurdle," Cooley said.

"The ball is now in their court. Their primary thrust was that wc didn't have the evidence." The prosecution argued that Makuch Please see EXTORT, B5 nnJW I i rrr Li rr Choice Vintages The car is a Hudson Hornet, built in 1954. The church is the First Baptist Church of Moorpark, built in 1894. Mirrored in the chrome work of the car, the church appears almost wraith-like. Viewed together, above, the sculptured, flowing lines of the car blend oddly well with the stark, angular lines of the church.

Awl Top San Fernando Official to Take Baldwin Park Job By PIIII.SNCIDCRMAN TIMES STAFF WRITER Donald E. Penman, who as San Fcrnan-do's city administrator for the past seven years was credited with improving public services and revitalizing the city's economy, said Wednesday he has agreed to take a similar post in Baldwin Park. Penman said Baldwin Park officials have offered him the city manager's job. "We've pretty much agreed on the terms," he said. "I don't anticipate any problems." "He will be missed," San Fernando Councilman James B.

Hansen said. "He has done a fine job. This was not a matter of disagreement or a matter of money. It was just that he felt he had to go to a larger city to further his career." Penman, 38, a lifelong San Fernando Valley resident, said he docs not plan to relocate his family and will commute to the San Gabriel Valley city from his North-ridge home. "I'm obviously excited at the prospect of a new challenge, but there's a part of me that's sad to be leaving San Fernando," Penman said.

"It's been such a great experience. Things arc going well here. It was a very difficult decision to make." Baldwin Park Police Chief Carmine Lan-Please see MANAGER, Bt Reseda Retailers See Community Pride as a Welcome Sign ByGABE FUENTES TIMES STAFF WRITER Reseda community leaders trumpeted the arrival Wednesday of a welcoming sign that was lowered by crane onto a median strip on Sherman Way. The "Welcome to Reseda" sign replaced one destroyed more than a year ago in a traffic accident But in the sign's shadow sat a shattered stone planter, damaged in the crash and still unrepaired, as a reminder of how far Reseda boosters have to go in upgrading the area's business district Once a West San Fernando Valley shopping mccca. Reseda's commercial strip has been in the throes of an economic downturn as shoppers flocked to enclosed malls elsewhere.

What can a sign do to remedy those deep-seated economic woes? Please see RESEDA, Bt Dispute Over Cost of Reinforcing Dam Photos by BOB CAREY Los Angeles Times JOAN H. ZOFT-PAHOYO Lm AncdaTMa must be upgraded to survive major quake. agreement earlier this month. The dispute had threatened to delay an 85300 feasibility study arranged by the two water agencies as a prelude to strengthening the dam. One plan being Agencies End By JOHN CHANDLER flMM STAFF WRIfF.R After months of bickering, two Antelope Valley water agencies have finally agreed to work jointly on a proposed S7-million project to strengthen the historic Little-rock Dam.

which the state considers unsafe in an earthquake. The 65-year-old dam and adjoining reservoir arc a major source of drinking water for the eastern part of Palmdale and nearby Ultlcrock. But state officials have threatened to order the reservoir abandoned unless the dam is upgraded to withstand a major earthquake. On Wednesday, the Palmdale Water District and the LilUcrock Creek Irrigation District, the dam's co-owners, agreed to share the costs of the improvement project equally, ending a dispute that has continued since October. Water officials said the deal should help the dam project's progress.

"The way things arc growing here, we need every drop of water wc can get. The dam is a good supply of water, and it's clean and relatively cheap." said Dennis LaMorcaux, an official with the Palmdale Water District At issue in the dispute was which of the studied is to bolster the existing dam with a new concrete dam. The firm hired by the two agencies. Woodward-Clyde Consultants, expects the feasibility study and an environmental review to take at least a year. A recent state timetable forecast that a contract to upgrade the dam could be awarded in early 1991 and the work finished by the end of that year.

Although the two agencies have agreed to share the costs, the funding picture remains uncertain. Both are hoping the state will pay about $3 million from available dam construction funds, but the state has yet to make a commitment If the state funds materialize, the two agencies would each be left with a bill of about $2 million. Littlerock Creek officials have yet to say how they will raise their share. The Palmdale district plans to cover its share through fees it collects from building developers. Upon its completion in 1924, the Littlerock Dam was, at about 170 feet, the tallest multiple-arch dam in the United States.

It was designed by noted dam engineer John Eastwood and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But its history has been controversial. Please sm DAM, B4 Littlerock Dam, near San Andreas Fault, two agencies would have the lead role in the project The governing board of the Palmdale district Wednesday voted 5-0 to give that designation to the LilUcrock Creek district, which approved the same.