Yesterday I received a partial response to the public records requests I filed related to Andy Quach’s DUI accident and arrest on August 2, 2009. I say partial response because out of more than a dozen items requested, I have the answers to two.
I asked what the personnel costs in terms of time and dollars for the response to the incident. The city claims that while they are not required to provide that information as it involves personnel files they determined out of “courtesy” that 2,214 personnel minutes were dedicated to the incident at a cost of approximately $1,943.18.
I also received an answer as to the actual time the accident was reported, the time the first responding officer arrived, and the approximate time that Assemblyman Van Tran allegedly arrived on scene.
According to the City, the first call was received on August 2, 2009 at 00:10:07 (ten minutes after midnight). The first Officer arrived exactly two minutes later at 00:12:07. Since the Officer tape recordings are not time stamped they could not provide an “exact time Assemblyman Tran arrived, but they “believe” he arrived on scene at approximately 00:28:00 on August 2, 2009.
The City has claimed that virtually nothing else I requested can be released. Most surprising to me is the booking photo for Councilman Quach. As our readers may be familiar, we can open a newspaper virtually any day and see the booking photo of a suspect in a crime that is being reported on. I remember the photo of Richie Zambora who was arrested for DUI in Laguna Beach in March 0f 2008.
The City will not release any additional details of the accident, including accident scene photos. Apparently the time of Councilman Quach’s booking and release is confidential. Apparently, the City feels that the residence address for Councilman Quach is confidential.
I’ve asked again for his and other specific information citing the appropriate sections of the Public Records Act in the hope that I will get the information.
I’ll let you know what I find out when they respond.
this whole thing stinks there are so many more questions than answers. obviously van tran left at the same time he did how could he have gotten there so soon. and the cops not putting in their report that he clipped another car it’s all very fishy. i just passed by the accident scene this morning and there was a dude fixing the fence.