BOARD MEETING DATE: May 2, 2003
AGENDA NO. 12

Appoint Members to AQMD Hearing Board

SYNOPSIS:

The term of office for the Hearing Board Engineer and Attorney Members, and their Alternates, expires June 30, 2003. An Advisory Committee was appointed as required by law. The Advisory Committee interviewed candidates and made its recommendation to the Administrative Committee. This action is to appoint members to fill the expiring terms.

COMMITTEE:

Administrative, April 11, 2003, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Appoint to the AQMD Hearing Board, for a term July 1, 2003-June 30, 2006; Edward Camarena as Engineer Member, Michael K. Chang as Alternate Engineer Member, Laurine E. Tuleja as Attorney Member, and Stuart Miller as Alternate Attorney Member.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Health and Safety Code Section 40501.1(b), requires the AQMD to appoint a Hearing Board Advisory Committee composed of one representative appointed by each of the Counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino, and the City of Los Angeles. A highly qualified and distinguished group of individuals served on the Advisory Committee for this recruitment. They are:
 

	City of Los Angeles	Detrich B. Allen, General Manager, Environmental Affairs Dept., City of Los Angeles
	County of Los Angeles	Robert A. Wyman, Esq., Latham & Watkins
	County of Orange	Julie Puentes, Executive Vice President/Public Affairs, Orange County Business Council
	County of Riverside	Hon. Norton Younglove, AQMD Chairman Emeritus
	County of San Bernardino	Hon. Dennis R. Yates, Councilman, City of Chino

The current Engineer Member, Edward Camarena, and his alternate, Michael K. Chang, P.E., requested reappointment, as did the current Attorney Member, Laurine E. Tuleja, and her alternate, Stuart Miller. In addition, one other candidate was interviewed for the Attorney Member position, but subsequently withdrew, and an additional candidate withdrew before interview.

The Advisory Committee completed its interviews of all candidates except Mr. Miller on March 11, 2003. Mr. Miller’s request for reappointment was received after the application period had closed and the Advisory Board had conducted interviews. The Clerk of the Board advises that Mr. Miller has only been called upon to serve six times thus far during his three-year term and his was the only application for the Attorney Alternate Member Position. Given these circumstances, and the fact that Mr. Miller currently serves in the position for which he reapplied, the Advisory Committee waived interviewing him and staff believes it would not be cost-effective to repeat the advertising and recruitment process.

Proposal

Appoint Edward Camarena as Engineer Member, Michael K. Chang as Alternate Engineer Member, Laurine E. Tuleja as Attorney Member, and Stuart Miller as Alternate Attorney Member, each for a term commencing July 1, 2003 and ending June 30, 2006. A summary of the qualifications of each candidate is set forth below.

Edward Camarena – Mr. Camarena has been a member of the Hearing Board since 1994, and currently is its Chairman. He has over 40 years experience in the field of air pollution control, first with Orange County Air Pollution Control District, and then with South Coast AQMD. Mr. Camarena retired from the District in 1993, having been a Deputy Executive Officer for the last six years of his tenure, with responsibility for managing a wide range of AQMD operations, including compliance. Mr. Camarena has a B.A. in Chemistry from Occidental College/Los Angeles, and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from UC Irvine.

Michael K. Chang, P.E. – Mr. Chang has served for the past 2-1/2 years as the Alternate Engineer Member and has had the opportunity to review petitions and render decisions. He is currently a project manager with MTA in charge of procuring 370 clean-air CNG buses. He has 25 years’ experience in a variety of engineering and managerial positions. Mr. Chang has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Iowa.

Laurine E. Tuleja – Ms. Tuleja has been the Attorney Member of the Hearing Board for six years. Previously, for eight years, she was in private practice specializing in environmental and general business litigation, and advising companies regarding compliance with environmental regulations. Ms. Tuleja is admitted to practice before the California state courts, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits, and the U. S. District Court of the Central District of California. She received her Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law, UC Berkeley.

Stuart Miller – Mr. Miller has served as the Alternate Attorney Member for the past three years and has requested reappointment. Mr. Miller teaches environmental and other law at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, and has a private practice handling civil and criminal appeals, administrative cases, and writ and motion practice at all levels of federal and state courts. Mr. Miller received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Oberlin College and received his Juris Doctorate from New York University School of Law in 1977.

Fiscal Impacts

Sufficient funds are budgeted each year to compensate those who serve on the Hearing Board.

Attachments

None

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