Candidate tests threat

Democratic congressional candidate John Graham has been saying since

last year that a nuclear reactor on UC Irvine’s campus is a security

threat, but Wednesday, he upped the ante with his own mock terrorism

drill.

Graham, a UC Irvine business professor and candidate for the 48th

District House seat, parked by the reactor in an empty moving truck,

much like the one that blew up in 1995 in front of Oklahoma City’s

Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

“We basically drove Timothy McVeigh’s truck up to the reactor and

parked it right adjacent to it,” Graham said.

Graham was there for about 45 minutes, he said, and “nobody showed

up. That’s scary.”

The reactor’s supervisor, George Miller, disputes that the

facility is a threat to residents. If this sounds familiar, it’s

because Graham brought it up last fall, when he challenged former

Rep. Chris Cox for the seat Cox held since 1988.

Now Graham is one of 17 candidates running for the empty seat. Cox

left office in August to head the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The university’s 250-kilowatt reactor was built in 1969. It’s

small -- Miller contrasted it against San Onofre’s 3,000-megawatt

reactor -- and it’s only used for research.

After Graham brought up the issue in 2004, Cox toured the facility

and said he was satisfied with its safety. But Graham believes the

university at least should install cement barriers to prevent people

from driving trucks up to the building, or else decommission the

reactor.

“Certainly you can question my objectivity on political grounds if

you want,” Graham said. “The way I see it, it’s really a civic

responsibility. It’s my job to point out things that are dangers to

me and my neighbors.... I also see it as a broader national issue

that needs to be raised.”

Miller said he’s not denying the building contains hazardous

materials, but other labs and campuses around the country also do,

and UCI’s reactor has never had any safety-related incidents.

Contrary to Graham’s assertion, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

does inspect the reactor’s security regularly, Miller said.

People may be more worried these days because of the recent

terrorist attacks in London, but those were on subways and buses -- a

small nuclear facility is not likely to be high on a list of

terrorist priorities, he said.

“I also am a resident on campus, and it doesn’t bother me that

this is here,” Miller said.

State Sen. John Campbell’s land bill dies in committee

Supporters of a planned Newport Beach park suffered a setback

Wednesday, and state Sen. John Campbell attributes it to organized

labor, considered by some Sacramento Republicans to be the root of

all evil.

Campbell was pushing a two-pronged bill that would have allowed

Caltrans to sell Newport Beach a roughly 18-acre piece of land so the

city can make it a park. The second part of the bill would have let

the state contract out renovation and operations of historic cottages

at Crystal Cove State Park to a nonprofit group.

The bill was effectively killed Wednesday when Sen. Richard

Alarcon referred it to the Senate labor committee -- which he chairs

-- said Campbell’s chief of staff Floreine Kahn.

“It is his prerogative to hold a hearing on the measure. He is

refusing to hold that hearing, and he is doing it at the request of

labor,” Kahn said.

Labor groups don’t like that the Crystal Cove portion of the bill

would contract out state park operations provided by the state, she

said.

Costa Mesa City Councilwoman organizes hurricane relief

Costa Mesa City Councilwoman Katrina Foley is asking residents to

donate new pajamas and new or gently used books to Hurricane Katrina

victims.

City Hall, at 77 Fair Drive, will be a collection site for the

Pajama Program, which normally collects books and pajamas for foster

children but for the next month is concentrating on hurricane relief.

Books and pajamas can be taken to Costa Mesa City Hall through

Monday. They’ll be shipped to a New York floor contractor who will

deliver the items by truck to affected areas. Donations also are

being accepted to cover shipping costs from Costa Mesa. For

information on the book drive, visit o7www.pajamaprogram.orgf7.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

o7alicia.robinson@latimes.comf7.