The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 2

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER Michaela lookalikes bastes mol lam A-2 Tudy, December 20. 1 983 LWt far taics public inaction WW asked if Heidi or Sara is Michaela," Conchin said Monday, "But I haven't been bothered by the police and that's what bothers me." Heidi is visiting with out-of townfriends over the Christmas Conchin said she can hear people talking behind her back at supermarkets, restaurants and shopping malls about her daughters. "The girls will see somebody looking at them and mumbling to friends and the children will tell me, 'Mom, they're doing it Conchin What concerns the woman is that people seem to be reluctant to take appropriate action. "I think they should act quicker on their hunches," Conchin said, "If they see us in a store, they should tell the manager to call the police they should follow us out and get the license number to our van things like that. Says people notice her daughters but don't call police 'V By Don Martinez Of THE EXAMNER STAFF FREMONT Penny Conchin is concerned about public reaction or the lack of it to the massive media blitz and national publicity -centered on the kidnapping of Mi- chaela Garecht exactly a month ago 1.

1'" Conchin twin 10-year-old daughters bear a striking resemblance to the missing 9-year-old Hayward girl who was pushed screaming into a car in the parking lot of a neighborhood market Nov. 19. "I can't tell you the number of people who have come up and A8SOCUTH) PRESS Nine-ycaroM Michaela Garecht has been missing one month "Heidi and I were at an ice-cream parlor about a week after the kidnapping and I was mad because she was taking too much time in the ladies room just before we were ready to leave," the mother said, explaining that while she was waiting, two couples at a nearby table were talking about her daughter's resemblance to the kidnapped girl. "When Heidi finally come out, I angrily told her we were leaving and then kind of manhandled her when we got to the van and pushed her in," Conchin said. Then it struck the woman as they left the parking lot "That could have been Michaela and the people inside the ice cream parlor didn't do anything.

They just sat there and continued eating," she said. The girls have been getting plenty of attention at school in recent weeks. PAUL MUSI Bkmde Sara Condim, 70, of Fremont, with mother, Penny, often is mistaken for the kidnapped Michael Garecht "Our 25th Anniversary" SALE picture on television, we were absolutely dumbfounded," Conchin said, "My 3-year-old boy still ALL INVENTORY REDUCED, NOTHING HELD BACK. 10 50 Reductions on everything in our stores. You are cordially invited to save on watches, rings, bracelets, earrings, chains and more.

All 14K and 18K fine gold and diamond jewelry including Sidney Mobell famous copyrighted designs are now on sale at both stores. All major credit cards accepted. Cttap probers mioll cimtek Lll or fine Jeweiry SAN fRANCISCO (415) 986-4747 ATOP NOB Mill siJn Designer ondX Creator TWO FINE STOMS IN 141 POST STREET FAIRMONT HOTEL 0 siPm Insurers win key. 1 .8 billion case By Stanton Samuetson OF THE EXAMINER STAFF SAN BRUNO Shell OU Co. has lost a closely watched court battle to get its 250 insurance companies to help pay for the $1.8 billion cleanup of extensive toxic wastes at a Colorado Army facility the firm used to manufacture pesticides.

Insurance lawyers cheered Mon day's San Mateo Superior Court jury verdict, which could have a serious financial impact on the global oil giant, as a strong vote against corporations responsible for pollution and as a signal that such companies will have to bear the brunt of future cleanups. "I think the jury was responding to the fact that many corporate polluters since World War II have been indiscriminately polluting the environment," said attorney Barry Bunshoft, who represented Lloyd of London. He called the verdict "a clean sweep" for the insurers. "Shell should have won this case," said William Trautman, the oil company's chief counsel. "There a a whole source of funds from the insurance industry for which premiums have been paid for years that are not going to be util ized to clean up this country.

Trautman predicted the verdict would have "a chilling effect on cases similar to this one." "This could be a significant rul ing," said Gerald S. Haims, an in surance industry analyst with Sei-dler Amdec Securities in Los Angeles. "You can bet lawyers from every major insurance company are going to want to look at the records in this case because it could be a trend-setter." The case arose over pollution at the Army's Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado, where Shell manu factured DDT and other pesticides from 1952 to 1982. The company dumped waste into pits that leaked toxic chemicals into the soil and ground water, trial testimony showed. Both the Army and the state of Colorado, faced with a gigantic cleanup bill, sued Shell for damages.

Shell in tum sued its insurers, which it said failed to pay for the cleanup despite receiving millions in premiums over the three decades the company was active at the arsenal. The company said it had been required to use the Army's waste-disposal system and had relied on it to store waste in the safest way possible. The 250 insurers said during the 14-month trial that they refused to pay because Shell had "willfully, maliciously and intentionally polluted the environment." Jurors, who deliberated one week, voted 11-1 in 30 different decisions, one for each year Shell was insured. A majority of nine votes was needed for each finding) Jury foreman Peter Angelides cast the lone dissenting ballot ori each vote. Shell will appeal the 12-member jury's verdict, spokeswoman Betty Lynn McHam said from corporate headquarters in Houston.

Attorney Trautman said the cleanup has been under way for some time and would not be affected by an appeal. Shells liability for the cleanup apparently will come to about one-third of the $1.8 billion. Under a consent decree, the Army and Shell will split the cleanup costs, with the company and the government splitting the first $500 million 50-50. Of the next $200 million; Shell would pay 35 percent and 20 percent of everything above that, with the government paying the larger shares. Both sides wanted the trial in San Mateo because of the county's reputation for maintaining one of the fastest calendars in California.

Since the oil company and many of the insurers do business in the county, the county accepted the caje. The trial, which began Oct. 12. 1987, and cost about $800,000, was the longest and costliest in San Mateo County history. Examiner news services rcm- tributcd to this report.

No hew leads in Michaela case By Don Martinez OF THE EXAMINER STAFF HAYWARD -The Police Department, bereft of strong clues in the abduction of 9-year-old Mi chaela Garecht, "might be considering cutting back" the investiga tion by the first of the year. Michaela was kidnapped exactly a month ago Monday and police say they are no closer to finding out who is responsible or what happened than they were on the day she vanished. As authorities continue to pursue countless leads, the little girl's family clings to hope for her safe return so she can open her Christmas presents, already placed under the tree. Nearly 4,000 tips have been checked by a small army of Hay-ward investigators, FBI agents and officers from surrounding communities all to no avail "The only way we are closer to finding out what happened is that we have eliminated so many leads in this case," Hayward Detective Ken Gross said. "But as far as knowing who did it, or why or what happened to her we're no closer." The 200 calls a day that flooded the Hayward police switchboard "Their friends wont let them walk home said Conchin who has talked with the Garecht family on the telephone and has helped circulate posters of the kidnapping victim throughout her neighborhood.

"When we first saw Michaela's from throughout the state in the days after the abduction have slowed to less than 50, Gross said. "And many of them," he said, "are crank calls or people asking questions that seem unrelated to the case." He said cutbacks in the investigations are "something we are going to have to face as far as reality goes." "We might be considering cutting back if nothing breaks by the first of the year," Gross said. "This is very frustrating to all of us." For now, more than two dozen law officers are working on the case, which has attracted national attention and generated a reward fund of more than $70,000. Hayward police Lt Chuck Bre-azeale, who has been coordinating investigation the biggest in the department's history said there are no immediate plans to reduce the operation. "We have plenty to keep us busy in this case and we will continue to work on it until every lead is checked out," Breazeale said.

Sharon Garecht, Michaela's mother, remarked Monday that "it was a month ago that our lives were completely turned upside down." She said she is attempting to bring some sort of normalcy back to her home. "The phone calls have slowed down and we don't get as many calls in the month of January. The major part of the Pacific Bell reduction passes along the company's savings from a 1986 federal tax law. Other reductions come from the effects of low inflation, which have cut company expenses and also prompted the PUC to reduce the maximum rate of profit allowed The average residential customer, who now pays $26 a month for Pacific Bell basic and local toll-call service and related fees, will pay $22 a month from January through April and $25 a month the rest of the year, the commission said. The company has 9 million customers.

which has about 8 million customers or 70 percent of the state's long-distance market, was ordered to cut its rates by $168 million, or 9 percent, to pass along savings in the payments it makes to local phone companies to connect with their networks. Those savings resulted from a Federal Communications Commission order that also cut revenues to local phone companies. The PUC says local companies such as Pacific Bell have been able to offset the losses with increased efficiencies and avoid rate increases. also was ordered to re- FurnishingsforMen lfomcn alloys One superb slipper gift idea from our exclusive selection Slippers are a gift any man would appreciate. Especially if they come from our selection of exclusive models.

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When he sees Mi chaela's poster, hell point and say it one of the twins. visitors," she said. "We're trying to get organized and straighten things up around here." In addition to shopping for her other children, Garecht said Bhe bought Michaela a number of Christmas gifts, including school clothes, a paint set and educational "We're hoping she comes back soon but we're preparing for the long haul," Garecht said, "This is something that wont go away or that we can drop. We believe Michaela is out there somewhere and that she needs us." Judge denied new trial ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. LOUIS A federal judge on Monday denied U.S.

District Judge Walter Nixon Jr. a new trial on a 1986 perjury conviction. Nixon is the second federal judge ever to be convicted of a crime while on the bench. He began serving a five-year prison term ear lier this year at Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola, Fla. Nixon, who was based in Biloxi, was convicted of committing perjury when he testified he never discussed a pending drug case with a district attorney.

fund another $57 million to its cus tomers in January, the result of earlier savings in its payments to local companies. The refunds, in the form of a one-time credit, will be made in proportion to the costs of each long-distance service a customer uses, the PUC said. In addition, the commission allowed to raise or lower its rates within California by 15 percent on its own. The company has said those changes will be mainly decreases to meet competition, and that it does not plan to raise any long-distance rates by more than a penny a minute. Under proposals submitted by to date, a call of 300 miles or more in the state, now 39 cents for the first minute, would cost 36 to 40 cents.

says it plans more substantial reductions for competitive, business-oriented services such as 800 numbers. The changes will require five days' notice to the companies' competitors and will be limited to four per year for a given service, the PUC said. It is the first time the PUC has allowed a phone company to change rates without specific commission approval. PUC tells PacBell to cut rates Customers to get 1 5 reduction in local phone bills ASSOCIATED PRESS The state Public Utilities Commission has ordered Pacific Bell to reduce its telephone rates by $726 million in 1989 and gave customers a 15 percent break in local phone bills for the first four months of the year. The rate cut will drop to 5 percent for the last eight months of the year, the PUC said.

In a separate action Monday, the commission ordered a 9 percent rate reduction in rates for long-distance calls within California next year, with additional, varying reductions for different types of jSanJranris co Examiner PuMWMtf Mfy by Sm Francstoo tanwr OtoMo P.O. Bh m. Sm rnadM, CaNtonta Mm Uteri OfRcat, 11 FMtft St, Sm Fraud Ssoand CtoM PoabMM PMd al San fraaaaco mno POSTMASTER: tut fdiw rtaapi tac iaa 'raarlira lunmar, P.O. Bn 7li Sm FrMdKa, C4 MID. 7T7-MM 201 POST STREET, COR.

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