Ordinance No. 791
.1 ORDINANCE NO. 79l
2 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF VERNON REGULATING THE INSTALLATION,
ARRANGEMENT, ALTERATION, REPAIR, USE, AND OPERATION OF ELECTRIC
3 WIRING, CONNECTIONS, FIXTURES, AND OTHER ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
ON PREMISES WITHIN THE CITY OF VERNON.
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5 I THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF VERNON DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
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SECTION 1: This Ordinance and the regulations contained
7 herein shall be known as the Electrical Ordinance of the City of
8 Vernon.
SECTION 2: The provisions of this Ordinance shall apply
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10 to the construction, alteration, moving, repair, and use of any
11 electrical wiring on any premises within the City of Vernon.
12 The provisions of this Ordinance shall not
13 apply to public utilities as specified in Section 6; or to
14 electric wiring for street lighting or traffic signals located
15 primarily in the public rights-of-way within the City of Vernon.
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SECTION 3: For the purpose of this Ordinance certain
terms, phrases, words and their derivatives shall be construed
as set forth in this Section. Words used in the singular include
the plural and the plural the singular. The definitions as set
forth in this Ordinance shall include, without being limited to,
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the following:
(a) APARTMENT HOUSE is any building or portion thereof,
23 which is designed, built, rented, leased, let or hired out to be
241 occupied, or which is occupied, as the home or residence of three
25 or more families living independently of each other and doing
26 their own cooking in said building and shall include flats and
27 apartments.
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(b) BUILDING is any structure built for the support or
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291 shelter of persons, animals, chattels or property of any kind.
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30 (c) DWELLING is any building or any portion thereof
31 which is not an Apartment House or a Hotel, as defined in this
32 Ordinance which contains one or more apartments or guest rooms
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.1 used, intended or designed to be built, used, rented, leased,
2 let or hired out to be occupied, or which are occupied for living
3 purposes.
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(d) ELECTRIC or ELECTRICAL WIRING means the installation
5 or the alteration of any material, fixture, device, appliance or
6 equipment in or on any building, structure or premises, used or
7 designed or intended to be used to generate, transmit, transform,
8 or utilize electric energy.
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(e) ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR is a person who is engaged in
10 the business of installing or repairing electrical wiring or
11 equipment, or who does, or holds himself out as willing to do
12 personally or through his employees any work or services in con-
13 nection with the installation, alteration, or repair of any
14 electrical wiring or equipment, or part thereof, and who possesses
15 an appropriate contractor's license pursuant to Chapter 9, Division
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16 3 of the Business and Professions Code of the state of California.
18 intended or designed to be used, or which are used, rented or
(f) HOTEL is any building containing six or more rooms
19 hired out to be occupied, or which are occupied for sleeping
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20 purposes by guests.
22 employed in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 of this
(g) MAINTENANCE ELECTRICIAN is any electrician regularly
23 Ordinance.
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(h) PERSON is an individual human being, a firm, partner-
ship or corporation, his or their heirs, executors, administrators,
assigns, officers or agents.
SECTION 4: (a) Applications for electrical permits des-
28 cribing the work to be done shall be made in writing by an
29 electrical contractor, maintenance electrician, or their authorized
30 representative. Where a license is required by the Stateof
31 California, a permit shall not be issued unless the applicant has
32 such a license.
2.
.1 Applications shall give the location where such
2 work is to be done, either by street and house number, by lot,
3 block and tract, or similar description, that will readily identify
4 and definitely locate the proposed work. A separate application
5 shall be required for each building. The application shall be
6 upon a form specified by the Building Official of the City of
71 Vernon.
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EXCEPTION: Applications for single-family
10 sheds, guest houses, and the like that are located on the same
9 dwellings may include all accessory buildings such as garages,
11 lot, erected at the same time, and supplied from the same service
12 as the main building.
13 Each such application shall be accompanied by
14 such plans as may be required by the Building Official of the City
15 of Vernon.
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(b) No alteration or addition shall be made to any
existing wiring, nor shall any wiring for the placing or installa-
tion of any electric light, power or heating device, or any
apparatus which generates, transmits, transforms, or utilizes
electricity, operating at a voltage exceeding 25 volts between
conductors or capable of supplying more than 50 watts, be made
without first obtaining a permit therefor from the Building
Official, excepting minor repair work such as repairing flush and
snap switches, replacing fuses, changing lamp sockets and re-
ceptacles, taping bare joints, repairing drop cords and the like.
The application, plans and specifications filed as
required by this Section, shall be checked by the Building Official
and if found to be in conformity with the requirements of this
Ordinance and all other laws or ordinances applicable thereto, the
Building Official shall, upon receipt of the required fee, issue
31 a permit therefor. Every permit issued shall be valid only for
32 the location described on the application therefor.
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(c) Every permit issued by the Building Official under
2 the provisions of this Ordinance shall expire by limitation, and
3 become null and void if the building or work authorized by such
4 permit shall not be commenced within 60 days from the date of such
5 permit, or if the building or work authorized by such permit be
6 suspended or abandoned at any time after the work is commenced, for
7 a period of l20 days. Before such work can be commenced, a new
8 permit shall be first obtained so to do.
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(d) If no portion of the work or construction covered by
10 I a permit issued by the Building Official under the provisions of
11 I this Ordinance has been commenced, the person to whom such permit
12 has been issued may deliver such permit to the Building Official
13 with a request that such permit be canceled. The Building Official
14 shall thereupon stamp or write upon the face of such permit the
15 words nCanceled at the request of the permiteett. Thereupon such
16 permit shall be null and void and of no effect.
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SECTION 5: Any person regularly employing one or more
18 electricians for the purpose of installation, alteration, main-
19 tenance or repair on his or its own premises, shall make periodic
20 reports covering all installations, additions or alterations and
21 shall pay for each thereof the permit fees provided for in this
22 Ordinance. All such work shall be installed anddone in accordance
23 with the provisions of this Ordinance, and such work shall be
24 subject to inspection by the Building Official, in accordance with
25 Section 7 of this Ordinance.
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SECTION 6: The provisions of this Ordinance shall not
27 apply to any electrical work performed by the Light and Power
28 Department of the City of Vernon as serving agency, by any
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291 electrical corporation, telephone corporation, telegraph corpora-
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30 tion, railroad corporation, or street railroad corporation on or
31 with any electrical equipment owned or controlled and operated
32 or used by, and for the exclusive benefit of such corporation in
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.1 the conduct of its business as a public utility, or to any other
2 work which any such corporation may be entitled by law to perform
3 without payment of any local tax; but all provisions of this
4 Ordinance shall apply insofar as they may consistently with the
5 above be applicable to all other electrical work performed by
6 any such corporation.
7 The terms "electrical corporation", "telephone
8 corporation", "telegraph corporation", ttrailroad corporation" and
9 "street railroad corporationH, are herein used as said terms are
10 respectively defined in the Public Utility Act of the Public
11 Utility Code of the state of california; and such terms shall
12 also be deemed to include similar utilities which are municipally
13 or governmentally owned and operated.
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SECTION 7: (a) Upon the completion of the electrical
15 wiring in or on any building or structure of any nature, or tent,
16 or premises, except as otherwise exempted in this Ordinance, the
17 person, firm, or corporation installing the same shall notify the
18 Building Official, who shall inspect such installation, and if
19 it is found by him to be fully in compliance with the provisions
20 of this Ordinance, he shall issue, as provided for herein, a
21 certificate of inspection.
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(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to lath over,
23 seal, cover or conceal any electrical wiring or other electrical
24 equipment, for the installation of which a permit is provided
25 for herein, until such electric wiring or other electrical equip-
26 ment shall have been inspected and approved by the Building
27 Official. Said Building Official shall have the power to remove,
28 or to require the removal of any obstruction which prevents proper
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291 inspection of any electrical equipment or installation.
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(c) All defects shall be corrected within a reasonable
31 time, as may be permitted by the Building Official.
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(d) It shall be unlawful to energize or cause or permit
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.1 to be energized any electrical wiring coming under the provisions
2 I of this Ordinance, until such electrical wiring shall have been
3 inspected and approved by the Building Official. Provided,
4 however, that the Building Official may give temporary permission
5 to furnish electric current to, or the use of electric current
6 through any electrical wiring for a length of time not exceeding
7 30 days, if it appears to the Building Official that such
8 electrical wiring may be used safely for such purpose, and that
9 there exists an urgent necessity for such use.
10 SECTION 8: The Building Official shall have the right
11 during reasonable hours to enter any building in the discharge of
12 his official duties, or for the purpose of making any inspection
13 or test of the installation of any electrical wiring, electric
14 device or electrical material contained therein. Wherever in this
15 Ordinance, rights, powers or duties are granted to the Building
16 Official, the same shall extend to and be granted to his employees,
17 subordinates, or inspectors. Further, the term "Building Official"
18 as contained herein shall include the definition of "Superintendent
19 of Building of the City of Vernon".
20 SECTION 9: The Building Official is hereby authorized
21 and empowered to make at such times and as often as in his
22 discretion it may seem necessary, a thorough reinspection of the
23 installation in or on any building, structure or premises of all
24 electrical wiring, electric devices and electrical material now
25 installed or that may hereafter be installed within the City of
26 Vernon, and when the installation of any such wiring device or
27 paterial is found to be in an unsafe or dangerous condition, the
28 person, firm, corporation, or governmental agency owning, using
29 or operating the same shall be notified in writing and shall make
30 the necessary repairs or changes required to place such wiring,
31 device or material in a safe condition and to have such work
32 completed within a reasonable period specified by the Building
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.1 Official in said notice, and shall pay such fees as are required
2 by the provisions of this Ordinance.
3 The Building Official is hereby empowered to dis-
4 connect or to order the discontinuance of electrical service to
5 wiring, devices or materials found to be defective until the
6 installation of such wiring, device or material has been made
7 safe as directed by the Building Official, and any perso~, firm,
8 corporation, political subdivision or governmental agency ordered
9 to discontinue such electrical service shall do so within 24
10 hours after the receipt of such notice and shall not reconnect
11 such service or allow the same to be reconnected until notified
12 so to do by the Building Official. Provided, however, that no
13 reinspection shall be made in any dwelling house, while the same
14 is occupied as a dwelling house, without the consent of the
15 occupant thereof. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or
16 corporation to hinder or prevent, or to cause or permit to be
17 hindered or prevented, the Building Official or his duly authorize
18 representative from making any electrical inspection provided for
19 in this Ordinance, if the same is made pursuant to applicable l.aw.
20 SECTlON lO: Any person desiring an electrical permit
21 shall at the time of filing an application therefor, or at the
22 time which otherwise may be required for the payment of fees,
23 pay to the City Clerk of the City of Vernon a fee as set forth
24 in the 1964 edition of the Uniform Building Code, as adopted by
25 Ordinance No. 769 of the City of Vernon, for building permits
26 and for plan check fees.
27 Any person who shall commence any electrical
28 work for which a permit is required by this Ordinance without
29 first having obtained a permit therefor shall, if subsequently
30 permitted to obtain a permit,pay double the permit fee fixed by
31 this Section for such work provided that this provision shall not
32 apply to emergency work when it shall be proved to the satisfactio
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.1 of the Building Official that such work was urgently necessary
2 and that it was not practical to obtain a permit therefor, before
3 the commencement of the work. In all such cases, a permit must
4 be obtained as soon as it is practical to do so, and if there
5 be an unreasonable delay in obtaining such a permit, a double
6 fee as herein provided shall be charged.
7 SECTION ll: The requirements for fees contained in this
8 Ordinance shall not apply when the collection of such fees is
9 legally prohibited by other laws or ordinances. A fee shall not
10 be required for the issuance of a permit to perform work regulated
11 by this Ordinance in a structure designed and used exclusively
12 as an emergency fallout shelter.
13 SECTION l2: In the event that any person shall have
14 obtained a permit and no portion of the work or construction
15 covered by such permit shall have been commenced or such permit
16 shall have been canceled without any work having been done as
17 provided for in Section 4(c) or Section 4(d), the permitee, upon
18 presentation to the Building Official of a request therefor in
19 writing shall be entitled to a refund in an amount equal to 80
20 per cent of the fee actually paid for such permit. The Building
21 Official shall satisfy himself as to the right of such applicant
22 to such refund, and each such refund shall be paid as provided by
23 law for the payment of claims against the City of Vernon.
24 SECTION l3: All electrical installations in the City of
25 Vernon shall be in confb.rmity with the provisions of this Ordinance,
26 the statutes of the state of California, the Electrical Safety
27 Orders, 1963 Edition, issued by the Division of Industrial Safety
28 of the State of California, and shall be in conformity with
291 approved standards for safety to life and property. The said
30 Electrical Safety Orders, 1963 Edition, which apply to places of
31 employment, are incorporated herein by reference as applicable
32 to all places, whether places of employment or otherwise. Where
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no specific type or class of material or other specific standards
are prescribed by the Electrical Safety Orders, 1963 Edition,
or by this Ordinance, conformity with the regulations of the
National Electrical Code, 1965 Edition, as approved by the
American Standards Association, shall be prima facie evidence of
conformity with approved standards for safety to life and property.
All electrical materials, devices, appliances and
equipment installed or used in the City of Vernon, shall be in
conformity with the provisions of this Ordinance, the statutes of
the State of California, the rules and regulations issued by the
Division of Industrial Safety of California under the authority
of the state statutes, and shall be in conformity with approved
13 standards for safety to life and property. Except where by the
14 statutes of the state of California by orders issued under the
15 authority of the state statutes or by this Ordinance a specific
16 type or class of material, device, appliance or equipment is dis-
17 approved for installation or use, conformity with the standards
18 of Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., as approved by the American
19 Standards Association, shall be prima facie evidence of con-
20 formity with approved standards for safety to life and property.
21 Three copies of each of the hereinbefore specified
22 documents are on file at the office of the City Clerk of the City
23 of Vernon, and are hereby incorporated by reference and made a
24 part of this Ordinance in accordance with the laws of the state
25 of California.
26 The maker's name, trademark, or other identification
27 symbol shall be placed on all electrical materials, devices,
28 appliances and equipment used or installed under this Ordinance.
29 The provisions of this Ordinance shall take pre-
30 cedence when they conflict with any of the provisions of the orders
31 or codes as set forth in the first paragraph of this Section, or
32 of any organization as set forth in the second paragraph of this
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.1 Section. In all other cases of conflict, those provisions
2 resulting in the greatest safety to the public shall be applicable.
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SECTION 14: All wiring installed in or on buildings or
4 other structures shall be in a metal protected wiring system of
51, either flexible, metallic conduit, thin wall tubing or rigid
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6 conduit; provided that other equal or superior installations may
7\ be authorized by the Building Official.
al SECTION l5: Additions or extensions to, and alterations
9 and renewals of existing installations shall be made in compli-
10 I ance with the provisions of this Ordinance. Where a building or
11 structure, or a portion thereof, has its occupancy changed to a
12 different group, or a different division of the same group, as
13 defined in the Uniform Building Code as adopted by ordinance of
141 the City of Vernon, the electrical installation in the affected
15 building or structure or portion thereof shall be made to comply
16/ with the requirements of this Ordinance.
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SECTION l6: (a) All services shall be served by three
18 wires not less in size than No. 8 copper or equivalent. Where an
19 installation has been wired and arranged for three wire service
201 no two wire energy supply or two wire service shall be connected
21 thereto.
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(b) Service heads for dwellings need not
23 be located on the wall nearest the pole from which the service
24 drops are to be run, but shall be so located that the service
25 drop may be installed with only one point of attachment without
26 crossing over adjacent premises. The service head for dwellings
27 shall be not less than ten feet (10') above the ground and need
28 not be more than ten feet (10') over private driveways.
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(c) Overhead services shall be installed
30 in rigid metal raceway one inch (ltt) minimum in size. Under-
31 ground services from the serving utilities overhead or under-
32 ground systems shall be installed to conform to the utilities
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.1 requirements and standards. underground services may be in-
2 stalled in rigid non-metallic conduit.
3 (d) No other conductors shall be placed in
4 the service raceway, box or other fittingw.ith the service wires
5! unless separated therefrom by an approved and permanent means
6 forming a permanent compartment. This shall not apply to the
7 service switch box or to the grounding conductor.
8 (e) A single fusible switch or automatic cir-
9 cuit breaker shall be provided to disconnect all ungrounded
10 conductors supplying each separately metered occupancy. Meters
11 and metering equipment shall be installed as required by the
12 serving utility.
13 (f) Underground and overhead services shall
14 be in accordance with good engineering practices and in compli-
15 ance with the requirements of the serving agency, together with
16 all applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulations and orders,
17 including those governing clearance, at the point of attachment.
18 SECTION l7: (a) Receptacle outlets installed for
19 general use shall have an additional contact in the receptacle
20 for grounding purposes. Receptacles and cord connectors equipped
21 with grounding contacts shall have those contacts effectively
22 grounded. The branch circuit raceway shall include or provide a
23 grounding conductor to which the grounding contacts of the re-
24 ceptacle or cord connector shall be connected.
25 No extensions shall be made to existing
26 receptacle outlet branch circuits, which do not have a grounding
27 conductor as a part of the wiring method, unless the entire
28 branch circuit is made to conform to the preceding paragraph.
29 (b) Grounding type receptacles rated at
30 l5 or 20 amperes and installed in circuits of less than l50 volts
31 between conductors shall be approved for use only on potentials
32 less than l50 volts. Grounding type receptacles rated at 15
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.1 amperes and installed in circuits of l5l to 300 volts, between
2 conductors, shall be approved for use only on potentials not
3 less than l51 volts.
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SECTION l8: The Building Official shall keep complete
51 records of all permits issued and inspecti~made and other
6 official work performed under the provisions of this Ordinance.
7 II SECTION 19: The City Clerk shall ply all moneys collected
8 by him, pursuant to the provisions of this Ordinance, into the
10 of the General Fund.
9 City Treasury, and such moneys shall be deposited to the credit
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SECT10N 20: If any section, sentence, clause, phrase,
12 or portion of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid
131 or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent
1
14 jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
15 remaining portion or portions of this Ordinance.
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SECTION 21: Every violation of this Ordinance is hereby
17 declared to be a public nuisance.
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SECTION 22: Any person, firm or corporation violating
19 any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be deemed guilty of
20 a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in an
21 amount not exceeding $500.00, or be imprisoned in the county jail
22 of the County of Los Angeles or the city jail of the City of
23 Vernon, as the committing magistrate may direct, for not more than
24 six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the
25 discretion of the court. Each day such violation is committed,
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or permitted to continue, shall constitute a separate offense and
shall be punishable as such hereunder.
SECTION 23: There being no newspaper printed, published
and circulated in the City of Vernon, the City Clerk is hereby
directed to certify to the passage of this Ordinance and shall
post the same, or cause the same to be posted in three of the most
public places in the City of Vernon, to wit: The northwest
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corner of 38th street and Santa Fe Avenue; the northeast corner
of Leonis Boulevard and Pacific Boulevard; and on the bulletin
board in the lobby of the City Hall of said City, located at
4305 Santa Fe Avenue, all in the City of Vernon, County of Los
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Angeles, California; that this Ordinance shall be in full force
and effect thirty (30) days from and after the final passage of
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the same.
ADOPTED and APPROVED this
day of
April
16th
ATTEST:
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~ F. vA. Ziemer, City Clerk
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16 STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
) SSe
17 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES)
)
18 CITY OF VERNON )
19 I, F. A. ZIEMER, City Clerk of the City of Vernon, do
201 hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 79l was duly
21 and regularly introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council
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of the City of Vernon, held on
March 19
, 1968, and
23 thereafter finally adopted at a regular meeting of the City
24
, 1968, by the following
Council, held on
April 16
25 vote:
26' AYES: Councilmen Anderson, Furlong, Mai11iard, Malburg,
Ybarra
27 NOES: Councilmen None
28 ABSENT: Councilmen None
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~c1-iy Clerk
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AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
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STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
)
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )
)
CITY OF VERNON )
ss.
I, F. A. ZIEMER, City Clerk of the City of Vernon, do
hereby certify that I did, on the 17th day of April, 1968, post
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three (3) copies of Ordinance No. 791, one in each of the
101 following places, to wit: at the Northwest corner of 38th
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Street and Santa Fe Avenue; at the Northeast corner of Leonis
Boulevard and Pacific Boulevard; and on the bulletin board in
the lobby of the City Hall of the City of Vernon, located at 4305
Santa Fe Avenue in said City, there being no newspaper of general
circulation printed and published in the City of Vernon.
Signed this 17th day of April, 1968.
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F. A. Ziemer, City Clerk
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 17th day of April, 1968.
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Notary Public in and for the County
of Los Angeles, State of California
l. R. BURCH
My Commission Ex:)ires Mar. 24, 1969
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