Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-01
MANY BILLS AID
CITY OF ANGELS
MUCH LEGISLATION FAV0RS
LOS ANGELES
CITY ATTORNEY SHOWS RESULT
OF SESSION
SoIons at Sacramento Pass Laws
Which Makes Possible More Inn
proVements in and Near
the City

for it and not the fault of the legis-
lature. This is shown by a list of
bills compiled by City Attorney Hew-
lit which were passed at Sacramento.
Mr.. Hewitt declares that the passage of
these bills was due solely to the fact
that the Los Angeles contingent in the
legislature joined hands on every prop
osition in which Los Angeles was in
terested and formed a figurattve fly
ing wedge which the other legislators
could not resist. The fact that the
speaker of the assembly was Phil Stan
ton, Los Angeles man, had much to
do with the success of the Los Ange,
les bills.
The list of these. acts made by the
city attorney is as follows:
F'irst-An act prohibiting the sale of
liquors within four miles of construc-
ton camps of men engaged upon pub
lie work, with certain limitations, none
of which affect the vital principle of
tect the workmen on Owens river aque-
duct from the damaging effect of the
presence of saloons in the vicinity CT
that splendid public Improvement now
being constructed by the city at great
cost.
Increases Water Supply
Second-An act granting municipal
the right of way over
public lands of the state for water
works, also the right to take stone and
other materials therefrom for such va
ter works, and the right to take unap-
DrODriated water from streams and
lakes intersected by said water works
for supplying municipal corporations
with a water supply. This law is de
signed to enable the city to supplement
its water supply along the line of the
auueduct with waters otherwise not
appropriated.
Third-An act to permit municipal
to invest moneys in their
sinking fund created to redeem bonds
in the purchase of certain approved
public securities. The purpose OF TINS
act is to enable this city to put its
fund now being created for the
of redeeming the aquedu3t
bonds out at interest until such time
as ii will be needed to retire the in
stallments of those bonds and interest
thereon as the same mature.
Fourth-An act to legalize the inn
prisonment Of offenders convicted in
the police court in branch city jails.
This city has now workhouse, when
is used as a place for the confinement
Of persons guilty of misdemeanors
must have a legal recognition as
branch city Jail Hence this law was
deemed necessary in order to avoid
any technical question as to the Legality
If the use of the workhouse, as well as
the city jail itself, as a place of i'm
Enables Street to Be Widened
Fifth-An act permitting municipal
to construct and main
tain sewers, water mains and other
conduits in the streets of other mu-
nicipal corporations. This law was
drawn TO meet such situations as that
now existing here, where 1t is neces-
sary for Los Angeles to obtain the con
sent of the city of Vernon to use the
streets of the latter city for sewers,
connecting the sewers in the eastern
and southern part of the city with the
outfall.
Sixth-An act authorizing the board
of trustees of the Normal school to
convey to the city for street purposes
a strip of the Normal school grounds
171b feet wide along the southerly side
of Fifth street from Grand avenue
westerly. This law exacts as condi-
tion to such conveyance that the city
will nav all damages to the buildings
and other improvements upon the
grounds caused by the widening of the
street The purpose of the measure IS
to facilitate the proposed widening of
Fifth street from Grand avenue to
Flower street, which would be impos-
sible without the consent of the state,
as the owner of a large part of the
lands necessary to be taken therefor
Vrooman Act Amended
Seventh-An act amending section 2
of the Vrooman act by striking out the
proviso recurring a petition of the own
ers of a majority of the frontage of
property before a street can be I'M
proved, the grade of which has ever
been changed. This limitation has been
an unnecessary and troublesome re-
striction upon the Improvement or
streets. and its removal will be highly
beneficial. Property owners still have
the right to bar street proceedings by
protest, but the difficulty met with so
often in obtaining majority petitions in
cases of change of grade is now re-
moved.
Eighth--An act to provide for chang
ing the grade of streets. The present
law upon this subject was cumbersome
and technical in the extreme, and Its
efficiency was questionable on legal
grounds The law recently passed upon
this subject will relieve this city from
MANY difficulties in changing street
grades.
Ninth-An act to provide for the i'm
movement of streets in cases where,
bv reason of cuts and fills, damages are
caused to abutting property, so that
such damages may be ascertained IN
the proceedings and assessed as a
charge against the benefited property.
The city has tried to secure the pas
sage of such a law as this twice be-
fore, but without success. Under this
law it will no longer be necessary to
obtain waivers of damages and indem-
nifty bonds to protect the city in grad
ing streets where cuts and fills occur
1t will also remove a fruitful source of
suits against the city for the recovery
of damages for street Improvement.
Makes Parks Possible
Tenth-An act to provide for the ac-
uuisition by cities of lands for public
park or playground purposes by con-
demnation and enabling cities TO pay
for lands so condemned by the levy OF
assessments upon districts. This law
is patterned after the street opening
scheme as contained in the act of l9O3
and will enable the city to acquire
parks and Fairgrounds without the is
sue of bonds or applying the clty's an
nual revenues to those purposes.
Eleventh-An act amending certain
sections of the street opening act sc
as to provide generally for shortening
the time for such proceedings; giving
the city power to open streets in GER
tain cases for distances not exceeding
two blocks, Notwithstanding protests
permitting property owners in the as
sessment district to be heard in cour'
or before referees relative to damages
ond nrovidiny that the fees of referees