South Tucson's El Independiente, 1982-02-05

              EN
RESUMEN:
South Tucson's
Murray aids
3 candidates
with funds
By JAMES MAGGIO
South Tucson City Attorney Robert L.
Murray contributed $500 to a campaign
fund supporting three incumbent council
members facing re-election last May,
according to City Hall recorda.
Murray donated to the 'Three for a
Change" campaign committee, of which
Mayor Dan W. Eckstrom and council
members Shirley A. Villegas and Luis D.
Redondo were members, the records
show.
Murray was appointed city attorney by
the council in 1975. His current contract of
$16.800 annually expires in June 1983, said
William L. Pondcr, city clerk.
If tue three council members are still in
office when Murray's contract expires.
they may determine whether to retain
Murray as city attorney.
Redondo, who is Murray's father, ab-stains
from voting on issues relating to the
city attorney, Murray said.
Reached by telephone at his law office
last week, Murray said, "t am confident
enough to know t would have been given
Ihe position whether t contribute to
campaigns or not."
(Continued on Page 3)
City wants
to operate
own pension
By EMIl. VENERE
Despite some concern over South Tuc-son's
proposal to operate its own
retirement fund, City Clerk William L.
Ponder said public employees would
benefit under a separate system.
Ponder said the city's decision to pursue
state legislation that would allow for a
retirement fund separate from the public
safety retirement system was based on
poor investment returns from the state
fund.
Ponder said the fact the city was late in
paying $3,300 for each two-week pay period
last August to the state retirement system
had no bearing on the city's decision,
Ponder said the city's financial condition
was "no more shaky then anything else."
Some investments of municipal money
by the state program failed to keep up with
inflation, some yielding little more than 5
percent, city officials contend. Ponder said
lithe city had its own fund it could invest in
the marketplace and gain higher returns.
"Why get 5 percent when you can get 12
or 15 percent?" he asked.
He said higher yields could be schieved
by placing funds in more lucrative
markets or insurance policies than the
state, and returns ranging as high as 15
percent are possible. He salda reliable city
(Continued on Page 3)
Si la Corte Supreme dc Arizona decide dar
audiencia ala apelación dein decisión en contra
de la ciudad pur $3.6 millones podrian so de
cuatro a siete renes antet de que cl caso llegue a
la corte.
Richard P. Kaffenberger, el gerente municipal
rehuso a predicir el resutado de las
deliberaciones de la corte porque según ô,
"nuestras posibilidades de ganar en la Corte de
Apelaciónes nan exetentet --- en puntas de la
ley"
En ô 20 de enero la Corte de Apdaciónes
decidió no oir la apelación deis ciudad enei caso
de Julian Roy Garcia. Corda, anteriormente un
pulida de la ciudad de Tucson. fue balaceado y
resulto parcialmente paralizado en 1979 cuando
asistía a la poticia de Sur Tucson.
Despuet deque la Corte de Apelaciones se negó
oir la apelación, la ciudad tiene t? dias para
registrar una peticion con ía Corte Supreso de
Arizona. La corte puede rehusar oir et caso y
dejar que la decición de $3.6 millones se con-
EI Independiente
firme, o puede comiderar la información
presentada act panel de apelaciones para evaluar
los meriten de ta petición, dijo un empleado de la
corte.
"Yo pensaba que teniamos buena probabilidad
de ganar en la audiencia de la Corte de
Apelaciones y son igualmente buenas las
probabilidades en la Corte Suprema," dijo
?Mlliam G. Walker. el atsogado representando a
la ciudad.
Continuación en pagina 7
Tucson lowrider Otis "Big O" Dos displays his modified pickup truck equipped with front and rear hydraulic jacks.
Photo by Anna Beth 'tsmussen
Bill to adjust low, highriders grounded
uy 'NNA BETH ASMUSSEN
Tucson towriders and highriders say
they are delighted now that the Senate
Transportation Commiltee has takt to rest
a bill that would have outlawed sub-stantially
raised or lowered bumpers.
"I can't tell you how happy this makes
us feel," said Otis Ray Doy, president of
the Tucson chapter of the "Sophislicated
Few" lowrider's car club.
"The bill, which would have caused our
car club and others like it to fold, was
ridiculous in the first place. lt really had
us scared for a while but now I'm just glad
it is all over," he said.
However, the fight is far from being
over. Many lowriders expressed nèw
concern when the majority of the Senate
Transportation Committee introduced
another bill prohibiting lowriders from
changing the height of their vehicles while
moving.
Lowriders are often equipped with
battery-operated hydraulic systems that
can lower the car almost to ground level,
or jack it up above normal bumper height.
This bill would prohibit the use of these
hydraulic systems while a caris moving at
15 miles per hour or below.
Hut Rep. Tony Abril, D-Phoenix, who
look up the opposition for the mostly
Hispanic lowriders, said he did not expect
'the newly introduced bill to get off the
Senate floor.
"This bill is just as bad as the other." he
said. "t don't know why the legislators
can't just leave these gond people alone."
The defeated Senate Hill t043, sponsored
by Sen. Edward Sawyer, D-Safford, would
have made it illegal to operate a non-commercial
vehicle if its bumper height
had been altered from the manufacturer's
specifications.
According to Sawyer, lowriders' highly
customized cars have undersized tires and
hydraulic suspensions. They are owned
mostly by Hispanic youths in their teens
and 20s and are viewed as cultural ex-pressions.
Highriders, ou the other hand, are
generally four-wheel drive pickup trucks
with "lift kits" installed on their
suspensions which, with oversized tires,
drastically increase the vehicles height, he
said.
Sawyer insisted, however, that the bill
was aimed only at highriders.
"I was realty concerned more with
safety on the highway and these trucks
that are raised up so high they're unsafe,"
he said.
He added that highriders have their
bumper heights modified so much that
there is a serïous mismatch in a collision,
a problem which he said could increase the
severity of an accident.
However, Sawyer stated that he failed to
find statistics to back his theory, and
opposition to the bill was so great that he
was forced to move that the bill be held
indefinitely. The Transportation Com-mittee
voted unanimously in favor of his
proposal.
Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Higuera, D-Tucson.
said it was a wise decision not to touch the
lowriders. "They are a very organized and
well-behaved group," he said. "They are
viewed as a part of the culture of our
forefathers. You just can't say enough
about these people. They're good people."
Richard M. Granillo, a member of a
four-wheel auto club known as the" Desert
Cruisers", agreed. "We are not out to hurt
or bother anyone. We just cruise around
having a gond time. We even sponsor f und-raisers
for various charities and try to
help people in need," he said.
"Actually, there was no real need for
such legislation anyway. Noi only ss'ould it
have hurt us, it would have hurl these
(continued on Page 2)
IN SIDE
Page
South Tucson in cable
TV franchise 2
Indian Alliance weathers
problems 3
KHYT serious about
South Tucson 5
n Resumen: las
noticias enespanol 7
Pueblo High football
players honored 8
Vol. VI No. 9 Published by the Journalism Department of the University of Arizona February i,l'.)02