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L.A. County salaries heavily boosted by overtime

A new report on overtime costs found that more than 3,000 of the county’s 90,000 employees boosted their salaries by 50 percent or more in overtime pay in January.

It was the first comprehensive monthly report on overtime costs and was requested by county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich in an attempt to identify any abuse.

His request came after reports that 1,332 sheriff, fire, probation and health employees boosted their salaries by more than 50 percent through overtime pay in 2002 to 2003.

Officials said they’ve only reviewed a few cases so far, and they suspect some of the overtime was racked up by workers helping residents affected by a series of deadly winter storms.

Uranium may leak into water via Colorado River

Southern California’s largest water agency told federal officials that they should move about 12 million tons of uranium mining waste in Utah away from the banks of the Colorado River.

In a Feb. 17 letter to the U.S. Department of Energy, officials with the Metropolitan Water District said relocating the waste “off site is the only reliable and permanent” answer to protecting the river downstream from further contamination by radioactivity.

The Colorado River provides water for 18 million Southern Californians.

The agency is considering an option that would leave the pile in place and cap it.

MWD officials are worried that if the pile is not moved, it potentially could leak into the river.

Schwarzenegger skips Oscars for NASCAR race

FONTANA — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger skipped the Academy Awards to take his 7-year-old son to the California Speedway, site of NASCAR’s annual Nextel Cup Series Auto Club 500.

In his second visit to the race track, Schwarzenegger took a three-hour tour and waved the green flag at the annual stock car racing event.

He told a packed room of racers and celebrities that a trip to the Speedway two years ago to promote his film ‘‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,’’ made him ‘‘fall in love with the action.’’

Speaking about legislative life at the state Capitol, the governor joked he wished ‘‘we had more action like this in Sacramento.’’

Compiled from Bruin wire services.