California Air Board (CARB) Takes Page Right Out of CRU/IPCC 'Climategate' Fiasco

Huge Changes to California Diesel Regulations May Be Thrown Out Following the Admission of A Cover Up At the State Air Board.
The Bakersfield Californian | Friday, Nov 20 2009 07:31 PM

It's not the lie, it's the cover up that'll get you.

How many times does this wisdom have to be pounded into the heads of bureaucrats?

The scandal over how a lead researcher behind California's new diesel truck rules lied about his credentials continues to grow.

At Thursday's California Air Resources Board meeting, one of the board members said the legitimacy of the rule is in question because of the lie and subsequent cover up and asked for a legal opinion on what should be done next.

The problem started with Hien Tran, the lead author of the report on which the new diesel rules were based, who lied about having a Ph.D. degree in statistics from U.C. Davis.

Though the lie was brought to some CARB bureaucrats' attention well before the vote on the draconian rules last December, it was kept "in house" until I and an editorial writer for the San Diego Union Tribune got wind of it and started hammering on it early last spring.

Turns out, not all the board members, who voted on the rules based on Tran's report, were told of his lies.

But some were -- and kept mum.

The issue was brought to the full board's attention at its September meeting in Diamond Bar by regular citizens.

At the time, board member John Telles, a medical doctor, was quite upset, saying, "This is the first time I've actually been apprised that there was fraud in the organization here.

"In my world, if an article was published by somebody who didn't have a Ph.D. and said he had a Ph.D., the whole thing would be nixed...I just find it incredible."

Well, he did some of his own digging and at this week's meeting he asked that CARB's legal counsel issue an opinion on what more should be done.

Telles also laid out a stunning chronology that revealed many CARB muckey-mucks, including chair Mary Nichols, knew about the lie before the vote and never said anything.

Tran's lie was first brought up by Dr. Stan Young in November 2008 to the California Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, who sent Young a letter dated Nov. 4, 2008, assuring him of Tran's credentials.

Then on Dec. 3 and 4, 2008, UCLA professor Jim Enstrom contacted three CARB board members telling them of Tran's indiscretion.

One of those board members, who I've reported was John Balmes, asked CARB staffers to investigate.

By Dec. 10, Tran had confessed. Those in the know included Nichols, Balmes and at least five other top CARB members.

The vote on the diesel rules using Tran's report was the next day, Dec. 11, 2008 and the full board wasn't told.

Even after the cat was out of the bag at last September's meeting, Telles said, "Staff never mentioned that they had this information prior to the vote."

Based on all that, Telles said, the legitimacy of the vote is in question as well as the legitimacy of the truck rule "and CARB itself."

"How we handle this reflects on the future credibility of CARB."

da Vinci Coming Soon - Wont Have Time For Autographs....

Leonardo da Vinci drawings coming to L.A.

November 10, 2009 | 11:36 am

It's not often that artwork by Leonardo da Vinci makes the journey to Los Angeles. But in December, three drawings by the Renaissance master will go on display at L.A.'s Italian Cultural Institute along with a video installation by Bill Viola.

Leonardo's "The Angel in the Flesh," pictured, dates from around 1515 and was produced by the artist in Amboise, France. It depicts a smiling, androgynous figure in the process of lifting its right arm in salutation. This marks the first time that "Angel" will be shown in the U.S., according to Francesca Valente, who is organizing the exhibition.

Also part of the show are two sketches from Leonardo's "The Theatre Sheet," which is believed to have been created around 1506 to 1508. The two fragments are figure studies for a stage set of Angelo Poliziano’s "Orpheus." The drawings come from "The Mind of Leonardo," a recent exhibition at the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia in Rome.

Video artist Viola will present his 2002 work "The Last Angel" as part of the show. The installation features slow-motion imagery of an angelic figure in water, accompanied by an original soundtrack. Viola is scheduled to appear in person on Dec. 2 to present his work in a discussion with author Carlo Pedretti, who is a Leonardo scholar and UCLA Professor Emeritus.

The exhibition will run Dec. 2-12.

-- David Ng, Plastico Contributer

Big Surprise - CA Budget Still Far From Solvent....

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger estimated Monday that California's budget will fall out of balance by $5 billion to $7 billion this fiscal year, on top of a $7.4 billion gap already projected for 2010-11.

If true, state leaders would confront at least a $12.4 billion to $14.4 billion problem when Schwarzenegger releases his budget in January. California currently has an $84.6 billion general fund budget.

The Republican governor spoke with The Fresno Bee editorial board Monday after signing a bill placing a water bond on the November 2010 ballot.

He emphasized deep spending cuts as a budget solution but did not mention tax increases. Schwarzenegger and legislators agreed to cuts to education and social services, as well as temporary tax hikes, in two budget deals earlier this year.

"We are not out of the woods yet. ... The key thing is, we have to go and still make cuts and still rein in the spending," Schwarzenegger said. "It will be tougher because I think the low-hanging fruits and the medium-hanging fruits are all gone. I think that now we are going to the high-hanging fruits, and very tough decisions still have to be made."

The state is $1 billion behind in tax revenues through the first three months of the 2009-10 fiscal year. Courts also have blocked some cuts in the current budget, such as in-home care reductions.

Besides the struggling economy, a major budget problem is that state leaders relied on risky assumptions – which may never come to fruition – in bridging a $60 billion, two-year budget deficit this year.

Schwarzenegger also discussed a wide range of other topics:

• Lieutenant governor pick: A replacement for Democrat John Garamendi, who was elected to Congress last week, will come within two weeks, Schwarzenegger said. "There's no urgency," he said.

He said he wants a lieutenant governor "who will follow through with the plan I set out. ... Right now the system doesn't work to have a lieutenant governor from the opposite party."

Schwarzenegger said Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, who was seated next to him at the meeting, was "absolutely" on his short list.

A Republican – especially one intending to run again – may have a tough time winning confirmation in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

• Tax commission recommendations: Schwarzenegger said lawmakers should immediately debate the tax system changes recommended by a task force "rather than go on trips all over the world which they will do in November ... and say, 'Let's make a commitment, we're going to go and stay here until Christmas and then let this be a great Christmas vacation because we have accomplished one more important thing.' "

• Pension changes: Schwarzenegger made a pitch for a plan to devise a less lucrative pension system for future public employees. "We have to get serious about rolling back the pensions to the 1999 level for new employees," he said, noting that the state's general fund will have to take on an increasing responsibility to pay pension costs. "Eventually, the $1.5 billion (a year) that's being paid now will go up to $11 to $13 billion a year."