(Los Angeles television station KNBC posted the following story on its website on February 11.)
LOS ANGELES — Union Pacific Railroad must pay $8,200 in fines and penalties for unsafe business practices due to multiple incidents of trains stopping on a public crossing, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo said Tuesday.
Union Pacific pleaded no contest to three counts of violating the Public Utilities Commission General Order which prevents trains from stopping on public grade crossings for more than 10 minutes, said Deputy City Attorney Deborah Sanchez.
Superior Court Commissioner Kevin Brown ordered the railroad company yesterday to pay $8,100 in penalties and a $100 payment to the state-administered victims’ restitution fund, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
On several occasions, trains from the Union Pacific Railroad were seen stopping along the public grade crossing that leads to an industrial cul-de-sac in East Los Angeles, according to Sanchez.
“The stopped train essentially cut off access (to) the cul-de-sac for 40 minutes and, on some occasions, up to an hour,” Sanchez said. “Investigators reported that it was not uncommon to observe several people crawling under stopped trains to cross the roadway.”
Frank Mateljan, city attorney spokesperson, said there may have been one or more trains involved in the violations. Another spokesperson said all the incidents were at the same crossing at Perrino Place near Washington Boulevard and Soto Street.
Delgadillo added that his chief concern in unsafe business practices cases are “reducing health risks for residents of Los Angeles and making sure businesses can operate without undue impediments.”