For Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky, the June 3 election for their successors is coming way too soon.
Both are termed out this year and both say they plan to stay until the very last minute of their term on Dec. 1.
Neither has developed a plan for what they will do after they leave office.
Teaching is an option for both, as is remaining politically active. For instance, Yaroslavsky is the commencement speaker this month at Pepperdine University.
At one time in her career, Molina served on the Democratic National Committee. Yaroslavsky has been less involved in partisan politics, but he has been called on by foreign countries to help develop local government operations.
Money should not be a problem for either of them.
Molina, with 20 years on the Board of Supervisors, will be eligible for a monthly pension of $9.796 or $117,400 a year, according to the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association.
With one year less on the board than Molina, Yaroslavsky will be eligible for $7.958 a month or $95,600 a year.
However, he also will be eligible for a city pension for his 19 years on the City Council. The exact amount for which he is eligible has yet to be determined.
No progress on move
The LA 2020 Commission was critical of the city’s lack of effort to convince the California Air Resources Board to build its new lab within Los Angeles and bring along with it the 250 jobs of engineers and technicians now based in El Monte.
While the proposal looked good on paper, nothing is really in the works on moving the 40-year-old Haagen-Smit Labs, officials said.
“We are at the very start of a formal process with the (state) Department of General Services to get a new building,” said John Swanton, air pollution specialist at the lab. “We have been talking for years about getting a new facility with more space.
“It’s nice they are looking at us, but the stage we are at now is developing proposals for review.”
The ARB has said it would like to work with a local university to serve as its home as part of a research center.
If it eventually does move to Los Angeles, it will be a return to its roots. When first created, the ARB worked out of downtown Los Angeles.
Gorell gets GOP aid
The race for the 26th Congressional District on the border of Ventura County is getting hotter.
Assemblyman Jeff Gorell is getting some help from the National Republican Congressional Committee which has identified him as a “contender” in their “Young Guns” program. Under the program, candidates are provided with support and aid in their campaigns.
Gorell is looking to unseat Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley, who is seeking her second term.
Brownley has a strong fundraising edge, with the most recent reports showing her with $1.9 million in cash compared to the $252,000 for Gorell.
Rick Orlov is a Daily News staff writer and columnist. His column, Tipoff, appears on Mondays. For a daily fix on politics go to the Sausage Factory at http://blogs.dailynews.com/politics. You can contact Orlov at rick.orlov@langnews.com or at 213-978-0390.
