In fact, the history of aerospace in Downey dates to E.M. Smith, a wealthy industrialist who founded the E.M. Smith Co. (EMSCO) in 1911 to manufacture transmission belting, rubber products, and hydraulic brake linings.
Smith's holdings included the EMSCO Asbestos products factory in Downey and a newly purchased Albatross Company, a craft company in Long Beach. Envisioning a landing field that could be used by both commercial and private pilots, Smith bought a 73-acre tract of Downey land from James Hughan. The land was largely orange groves and castor beans with a few farm structures.
The property went through a number of manufacturers until Jerry Vultee leased it from Baker Oil Tools in 1936, and moved his Aviation Manufacturing Corporation from Glendale to Downey.
Vultee and his wife were killed in an air crash in Arizona while enroute to Washington, D.C. in January 1938.
He was succeeded as president and general manager of the Vultee plant by Richard Palmer who became chief engineer in 1940, and the plant was named Vultee Aircraft.
Modernization continued within the plant as production increased in 1940. It was at this time that three notable aircraft were produced. They were the Valiant 51, a basic combat aircraft; the Valiant 54, a basic trainer; and the Vanguard, a pursuit-interceptor. These, in addition to the attack bomber, gave the company four major contracts for military designs.
Orders exceeded $20 million. Vultee became famous for its ability to produce planes in large numbers quickly. It did this by constant retooling. British air marshals, brass hats from the Army Air Corps and even Lady Halifax came to Downey to see how Vultee did it.
Just after Pearl Harbor, Vultee bought 34 percent of Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego.
Vultee at Downey produced Valiant basic trainers; the Vanguard P-66 pursuit plane; and the Vengeance A-31 dive bomber. Convair at Vultee produced the B-24 Liberator.
As the war wound down, the Vultee Field Division of Convair won a Navy contract for LARK surface-to-air missiles (1945).
In 1947 North American Aviation, which had a number of jet military contracts to fill, leased a portion of the Vultee assembly line in Downey. North American used Downey to produce its AJ-1 Navy bomber and T-28 post-war trainer. The company also needed more research space, and in 1950 purchased the Convair portion of the Downey plant.
In 1951, North American named the Downey facility the Missile, Airframe and Control Equipment (MACE), and in 1953 transferred title to the Air Force in exchanged for Air Force Plant (AFP) 27 in Los Angeles. The Downey plant became known as AFP 16, and remained so until 1964, but was primarily used by North American to develop a new missile concept-the Navaho.
North American also pioneered the concept of chemical milling at this time in the Downey plant, a process to produce lightweight and finely contoured aircraft and missile parts. The process was conducted in Building 1, with early testing of parts in Building 41.
It was the yield from the Navaho program that was the basis for the technology of the great aerospace programs that followed.
North American established three new operating divisions based on this research-the Rocketdyne Division in Canoga Park (along with the nuclear project which was moved there and named the Atomics International Division), and Downey which was named the Missile Division.
By 1954 all this activity had impacted Downey considerably. The corner of Lakewood and Firestone Boulevard was handling 70,000 cars per day.
Of the 11,000 employed at the Downey facility, 4,000 were laid off. But within three months North American had won a major new contract to develop the Hound Dog Air-To-Ground Missile.
(Source of this series of stories on Downey aviation history include the July 1999 Preliminary Final Historic Buildings and Structures Inventory Evaluation published by NASA).
The alternative proposed by Councilman Gary McCaughan was a softened law that would allow a councilperson to sit out a four-year term after two consecutive terms in office and then run again. But bitter exchanges between McCaughan and speakers from the audience (particularly Judge Joe Di Loreto), and a number of speakers favoring the present strict term limits clearly affected the Council's decision.
The meeting was a Special Session Monday, Dec. 6.
Councilman Gary McCaughan who pushed for the measure said at a previous Council meeting he felt it was well worth the money.
But Councilman Meredith Perkins and Mayor Keith McCarthy already felt differently. And Councilman Bob Winningham, swayed by the feeling of the audience, said that although he favored a softer term limit law, he now felt it would be better done by the people through an initiative process like that which had brought term limits to Downey originally.
While saying he would not vote for the special ballot measure before him, he added he would be glad to help gather signatures to start an initiative process toward the same end.
With only McCaughan and Councilwoman Joyce Lawrence left supporting the proposed ballot measure, it was decided to merely receive and file it.
While it can be brought back later, no such action is expected.
Ed Di Loreto opened the public comment segment of the meeting by reading a letter to the Council. It urged them to leave term limits alone, saying it was the will of the people. "Let the people's law stand," he said in closing.
David Bower said the proposed ballot language was confusing and made it look as though a yes vote was for term limits.
Lennie Whittington called the wording of the proposed ballot measure "Very misleading." He also said the Council appeared to be attempting to rush the matter through during the holidays before opposition could gather its forces.
Teri Lambros pointed out that several members of the present Council are there due to term limits which provided openings for them. And she opposed spending $35,000 for a ballot measure.
Frank Perez said he expected to hear Bill Clinton call for an end of presidential term limits next.
And Jeff Bell said he felt term limits were the will of the people.
Doris Patterson said she believes in term limits.
Mike Prokop also supported the present law.
The author of the Long Beach term limit law then spoke at length on the advantages.
And the Judge referred to other times since the term limit law was passed by the voters, that members of the Council had tried to revise the law or scuttle it.
At one point Di Loreto asked McCaughan not to refer to him as "Judge." Di Loreto said he did not address the Council in his official capacity. McCaughan responded that this was fine, so long as Di Loreto did not call him "Doctor."
It was then that personal exchanges between the Judge and McCaughan reached a heated level. McCaughan referred to money spent by Di Loreto in gathering the names for the 1993 initiative drive. Di Loreto responded he had been told that McCaughan had been one of the initiators in efforts to challenge his conduct during and after the initiative drive, both by appeals to the Fair Political Practice Commission and appeals to the state bar.
McCaughan denied the allegations. He also said the judge was wrong to attribute the source of his alleged knowledge to a dead man (Joel Lubin).
Some members of the audience shouted support for the Judge. The Mayor had to use his gavel several times to maintain order.
The vote was 5-0 to receive and file the proposal with no further action.
Lawrence said she thought the voters' return of four longtime incumbents to the Downey Unified School District Board in the November election was a sign voter opposition to repeated incumbency had weakened.
"I had hoped for a discussion, but we never got to that," she said after Monday's meeting. She said she is disappointed. On further efforts to overturn or revise Downey's term limits, she said, "I am through with that!"
To place the term limit revision on the March 7 ballot would have required four separate votes (none of which was taken). These included:
* A resolution setting priorities for filing a written argument and directing the City Attorney to prepare an impartial analysis.
* Providing for the filing of rebuttal arguments for city measures submitted at Municipal Elections.
* A resolution requesting the county Board of Supervisors to approve consolidation of the special Municipal Election with the Statewide Primary Election already scheduled for March 7.
The Charter Section affected is 500.1.8
The proposed ballot question and the Charter language as it would have read with the proposed amended language read:
"Charter Amendment #13: Shall a Charter amendment proposed by the Downey City Council relating to the establishment of a City Council Term Limitation of two consecutive terms, be adopted?
"Charter Amendment #13: Section 500.1 of the Downey City Charter is hereby amended to read:
(a) Notwithstanding any other previously enacted provision of law or of this charter, the City Clerk, or other election official authorized by law, shall not accept or verify the signatures on any nomination paper for any person, nor shall he or she certify or place on the list of certified candidates, nor print or cause to be printed on any ballot, ballot pamphlet, sample ballot or ballot label, the name of any person who either;
(1) Has been elected to two consecutive full terms as a member of the City Council and thereafter seeks to become a candidate for City Council, who upon completion of the second consecutive term and thereafter immediately seeks a third consecutive term to become a candidate for City Council.
(2) A full term is 50 percent or more of the term as defined in the city charter. It is the intent of the Charter Amendment that this Amendment shall be retroactive."
The staff report to the Council also noted that among comparable charter cities with term limit laws on councilmembers, Long Beach is one of the few with a comparable lifetime ban after two terms (as Downey's law presently reads).
As a junior at Warren High School, I often wonder what kind of changes have taken place in the halls of Warren's "Bear Country." It may seem curious to some, why a 16-year-old girl with so many things to think about would even care about changes at her high school, but you see-I have a particular interest being the third generation of my family to attend Warren High School. My mother, Laurie Mac Isaac, attended in 1978, and my grandparents Jack Renouf and Barbara Rounkles Renouf were the very first graduating class out of Warren High School back in 1959. I have asked my grandparents what Warren was like back in those days, and somehow they always seem shocked, until I remind them it was forty years ago.
My grandparents said, "It was like a culture shock coming to Warren with only one class at school to start." For the entire community of Downey, Downey High School was "The High School," the only High School. Suddenly, this entire group of students were moving over to a brand new school. Mr. Peet, from Downey High School, came with the new students from Downey High to help with their transition. They can still remember the smell of fresh paint, sparkling clean buildings, shiny new lockers, and new staff ready to teach their new students.
I could spend an entire article talking about all the differences that have taken place at Warren. My grandparents would never have believed that students would have to haul their backpacks with all their books, have computers in almost every classroom, have a swimming pool at school, and have lights on the football field.
I decided to focus on what hasn't changed instead. The one thing that stands out in my grandparents' minds is the same thing that stands out in my mind too. Whether the year be 1956 or 1999, there will always be a few select teachers who go the extra mile to help the teenagers of Downey's community succeed. In 1956, there were many exceptional teachers, but three special teachers made a big difference in the lives of my grandparents. Mr. Francis, Mr. Peet and Mrs. Armstrong were the teachers who made an impact on my grandparents that they have never forgotten. Recently, my grandmother wrote a letter to Mr. Francis thanking him for the kindness and example he set for all the students. My grandmother remembers that despite the shortcomings that the students had, Mr. Francis never judged them. He accepted them as they were and tried to bring out the very best in them. He gave respect to students and gained respect back, not by demand, but by truly caring about the individual.
Today, in 1999, there is still that handful of teachers who strive to live up to the examples of the leadership that the first staff members of Warren High School set back in 1956. I have three older sisters who have also attended Warren, and each one can think of a special teacher who made a difference in their life. These teachers not only collected a pay check, but they took a real interest in those students they had made contact with. Their job was not a burden but something they enjoyed. Teachers who took teaching to a higher level, who have sought to find the potential that lives within each individual student, who realize that even diamonds need to be polished to shine and show their many facets.
While I still wonder what it might have been like to wander Warren's halls back in 1956, I am still glad to know that some things never change, and that we can count on Warren High school to have teachers who are not afraid to go that extra mile for their students.
Albert Robles, a member of the board of the WRD, wrote a bitter letter to Board President Bob Goldsworthy expressing estrangement he experienced by the denial of the routine document, and setting in motion the time table that the Public Records Act requires by law.
Robles' largely self-explanatory letter reads:
At the Friday, November 19, 1999, Board of Directors meeting of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD), I requested that a copy of the Audit Report forwarded to the WRD by the Bureau of State Audits of the State of California be made available for review. It never occurred to me that the WRD General Manager would deny any WRD Director access to any records, particularly a document as important as the Audit Report. Due to the General Manager's refusal to provide an opportunity to review the Audit Report or inform the Board of Directors of the report's contents, I have no alternative but to formally make a request pursuant to the Public Records Act.
"Pursuant to the Public Records Act (Gov. Code Sec. 6250 ct. seq.), I hereby request a copy of all records related to the audit of the WRD conducted by the Bureau of State Audits of the State of California, including; all correspondence, all meeting notes, all draft reports, all preliminary reports, any and all documents provided to WRD by the Bureau of State Audits of the State of California and/or the California State Auditor's Office, and all memoranda prepared by WRD staff and/or consultants.
"Additionally, pursuant to Section 6256 of the Public Records Act, the WRD is required to provide a copy of the records requested within ten (10) days of receipt of this request. If the WRD does not provide the above requested documents, the WRD will be subject to a judicial writ of mandate requiring the disclosure of the above requested records and pursuant to Section 6259 of the Public Records Act the WRD will be responsible for all attorneys fees in connection with such an action."
The letter then volunteers to pay any copying charges involved in the above request. It is dated Nov. 23.
The City of Downey, citing numerous instances of excessive spending and failure to obey the requirements of the Open Meetings (Brown) Act, voted to formally sever relations with the WRD. The action was by a unanimous vote at Downey's City City Council meeting Nov. 23.
Other cities expressing a willingness to follow Downey and disassociate from the WRD include Cerritos, Lakewood, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, Signal Hill and South Gate.
Meanwhile, the cities (which have also filed suit against the WRD), won a court ruling Nov. 11 that the water district exceeded its authority under the California Water Code. The Superior Court ruled against a motion by the WRD to block the cities' lawsuit challenging the district's plan to place a $34 million bond burden on water users.
Kevin MacDonald, Arc executive director, said he's counting on other corporate donors to step forward as they have done in the past, to make this campaign, straddling as it does the ending and beginning of two millennia, a true success.
The Appeal Campaign, whose target is $50,000 ends on January 31, 2000.
"But, believe it or not," said MacDonald, "corporate donations account for only 10 percent of the total pie. Individuals and families chip in 90 percent."
Arc wants to purchase 30 computers, "to make sure we get the needed, additional technology available to our students. This is crucial to our program."
The Arc of Southeast Los Angeles County, which used to be known as the Association for Retarded Citizens, currently has in place some 26 ongoing programs that "give people with mental retardation the educational and employment opportunities they deserve. Events like the Arc Walk and this Appeal Campaign provide the financial means for the programs and are crucial to the financial well-being of Arc."
A retirement program is also foremost in his mind, to assist people with mental retardation in having somewhere to go when they retire.
These are all ambitious programs, of course, and MacDonald knows it. Recently he made a trip to Sacramento to deliver testimony before the state's Senate Select Committee on Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health, and made a case for raising the wages of direct care staff, and addressed the members of the committee thus: "It is your obligation to help make sure that the money gets to the trenches and not the bureaucracy... Get the money to the people who are helping someone with toileting skills right now, who are wiping noses, coaching someone at a job site and, frankly, are giving out a lot of love."
Arc receives a grant from the state, but the grant represents only 40 percent of the total budget. MacDonald wishes the state would give more. He reminds everybody of Arc's overarching mission: To "do everything possible to improve the lives of people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities and help them to reach their full potential in life."
MacDonald said the other big fundraiser was Arc's April Walk-A-Thon, where 900 walkers participated in the event to "show that they were advocates and supporters of people with developmental disabilities."
MacDonald emphasized that for every $1 donation, only 11 cents goes to administrative overhead, while 89 cents goes directly to programs and services Arc provides. "We have one of the lowest overheads to be found anywhere," he declared proudly.
"What distinguishes us is the quality of care that our staff gives," he added.
The holdup attempt was stymied when the cashier backed away from the window after a man drove up in a 1990 Volkswagen Fox and demanded money while pointing a gun.
The suspect, who got no money, then fled onto Bellflower Boulevard. Officer Boady Sherman began checking residential areas for the suspect vehicle and found it parked in the secured lot at 9226 Elmvista Drive. When he checked the license number, the car had been reported stolen in Burbank, on Dec. 1.
A surveillance of the car was established. At about 9:30 a.m. a man entered the car and started to drive away. The suspect, Gabriel Escobedo, 20, of Downey was taken in custody. Police then searched Apartment B from which the suspect had emerged and recovered two handguns while arresting four persons.
Charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun was Rafael Garcia, 27, of Downey.
Charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance were Erick Perez, 19, of Downey; Richard Villegas, 19, of Downey; and Samuel Demian, 18 of Downey.