European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes saturday september 17, 1988 court kills Law requiring voters to approve taxes Santa Ana Calif. A a slate appellate court has overturned a 1986 initiative sponsored by lax a Livial Howard Jarvis thai required voters to approve All taxes imposed by local governments. In declaring proposition 62  the 4th District court of appeals ruled thursday that re Quiring voter approval commuted a Gross interference with the fiscal responsibility of local  it s a sad Day for the California taxpayer said Joelyn a spokesman for the California tax reduction Mui Cuenl in los angst is. The anti tax group campaigned for proposition �2 Alicr Jarvis died aug. 12, 1986. The measure was approved by state voters in november 1986. The appellate court reversed a decision by a Santa Ana Superior court judge in january. That judge had upheld proposition 62 against 11 Challenge brought by the City of Westminster and said the measure was const a Vional and  the initiative required local governmental agencies to Slop collecting any new lax imposed after july 31, 1985, unless in was approved by voters by nov. 5, 1988. Jarvis drafted proposition 62 several months before he died. He said it was needed to plug loopholes in the landmark proposition 13, the statewide initiative passed in 1978 with Jarvis support that sharply cur tailed property taxes. Agencies failing to comply with proposition 62 would have faced the loss of an equivalent amount of property lax Revenue. Realm instr is among 45 municipalities in califor Nia that faced a potential loss of property tax Revenue under the measure state and county officials said. The unanimous appellate court ruling written by Justice Thomas f. Crosby jr., found Hal Westminster has the authority to impose in Utility users lax without citywide vote. The i acct that the ruling ultimately will have is unclear however a similar Case in Sonoma has been appealed to the 1st District court of appeals in Sanfrancisco. Fox said his organization would Appeal the 4ih District ruling to inc state supreme court. If the High court chooses not to accept the Case Fox said his group would consider mounting another initiative Campaign. Firefighters use smoke bomb to free woman from pet Boa Irvine Calif. Dpi firefighters rescued a Young woman from her Pel Boa Constrictor by Lossin smoke bomb into its Cage after the Snake wrapped itself around her inn and began biting her fingers instead of the food she we preparing to offer it. It would nuke me reconsider my pet spokeswoman for the Orange county fire depart ment noted Afler the incident. Lisa Stockholm 20, was preparing to feed the Snake thursday and had just put her Hind inside 111cage when for some reason the Boi Constrictor be came highly excited wrapped itself my tightly around her Arm and wrist ind began to bite her Fin Gers fire department spokeswoman Kathleen cd Sild. When the us foot Snake which Stockholm Calls to would not let Loose the University of California Irvine student called for help Chi said. When paramedic arrived the Boa became even More excited mid bit Down harder. They could see blood on her fingers Chi said. Very gingerly they attempted an unusual solution to a very difficult  fire officials first showed Stockholm How to me breathing apparatus. Then they draped a plus a cloth Over the 6-Iool-till Cue attached a smoke bomb to a pole and dropped us bomb into the snit s Cage. When they set off the bomb it was enough forthe animal to relax so they could pull Stockholm  Cha said. They then pal out the bomb and cleared the an of smote cd 314, Stockholm merged with cuts and raises. The make a Tjw pcs Bat commonly reaches a length of is feet and crushes its prey in its Colls was ant Hart. Stockholm Pun for the Boa were nol immediately known Chi said. 2 firms report air bag Success by United press International executives of Ford motor co. And Chrysler corp., appearing at two sep aral safely conferences thursday issued glowing reports on the performance of air bag safely systems in the Field. Larry Parker Chrysler s chief Engineer for vehicle safely management said the firm has received 91 re ports of air bag deployments in accidents involving Consumers. Parl or said there were no fatalities or life threatening injuries even though damage to the vehicles was severe in some cases. Parker said there have been no reports of Chrysler air bags failing to deploy As designed. Robert Munson director of Ford s automotive safely office said As of aug. 31 there had been 215 Acci dents severe enough to trigger air bags n the Fleet of Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz models equipped with the devices Mun san was a featured speaker at the three Day Calif judge named to appeals court Post Washington a president Reagan announced thursday he is nominating Ferdinand f. Fernandez to be a Federal appellate judge on the 9lh . Circuit court of appeals in California. Fernandez is if confirmed by inc Senate would succeed Warren j. Ferguson. Since 1985, Fernandez has served As a Federal District judge for the Central District of California. Before shut he was a judge for the Superior court of the slate of California in san Bernardino county in 1980-85. Annual conference of the Florida federation for safety at is. Petersburg. Parker was in san Antonio Texas for inc head injury control conference sponsored by the National Highway traffic safely administration. Parker noted Chrysler has produced nearly 70,000cars this year equipped with Driver Side air bags As Standard equipment. The sit models involved also will come with air bags for 1989 and should account for 24 percent of Chrysler s total passenger car production in that Model year he said. By 1990, All .-Buill Chrysler passenger cars will have Driver Side air bags Parker said. Munson said Driver Side air bags will continue to be options on the Tempo and Topaz in 1989 while Driver Side and right front passenger bags will be Standard equip ment on the 1989 Lincoln Continental. For 1990, he mid 11 Ford car lines will have Standard Driver air bags. Munson noted that Ford is introducing motorized automatic safety belts on an incremental basis. The Comfort and convenience of automatic safety belts has resulted in extremely favourable customer acceptance he said citing Independent studies that indicate 95 percent of front Seal occupants were using these belts. Chrysler noted motorized belts Are being offered on several of is 1989 models. The traffic fatality rate in the United states ease downward in 1987 to an All Lime Lew of 2,4 per million vehicle Miles travelled but there is potential for dra Matic reduction in the rate of both fatalities and serious injuries in the decade ahead Munson said. We believe that improved occupant restraint technology coupled with growing acceptance of mandatory Bell use Laws has launched a new Era of Highway safety but there is still much to be  stateside Ford plans Plant in Spain to make electronic devices Dearborn Mich. A Ford motor co. Announced on thursday plans to build a s6k million Plant near Cadiz Spain to make electronic engine control device. Production is to begin in 1990. When full production is reached about a year later the Plant will employ about 350 people. The Plant May be expanded to produce other elec tronic do vices spokesman at Chambers said. Products from the Plant will be sen i mainly to other Ford plants in Europe. Contractor buyer charged with taking kickbacks Bridgeport Conn. A a buyer for a government defense contractor has been indicted on charges he accepted kickbacks in return for helping a Massachusetts company obtain an inflated contract Tor Trident nuclear submarine parts. . Attorney Stanley a. Twardy or. Said Robert p. Wasco 38, of East Lyme was charged thursday with two counts of mail fraud and one count of violating the Federal anti Kickback Law. Electric Boal a division of general dynamics corp., is lit Only contractor that makes the multimillion Dollar Trident nuclear submarines for he .navy. The Federal grand jury indictment alleges Wasco recommended that the contract for a submarine pane awarded to Vorias engineering of Middleton mass., at More than three limes what electric boat usually paid for ii. Car buying slump puts Damper on retail sales Washington a retail sales dragged downy the sharpest drop in Auto sales in 10 months declined 0.2 percent in August the government said thursday. The Commerce department said sales dropped s33d million to a seasonally adjusted but nol inflation adjusted $ 133.s billion. Most economists had been both expecting and hop ing for the slight decline taking Ilas evidence that growth in consumer demand has slowed thus casing inflationary pressures in the Economy. In was the first Overall decline in sates since april s 0.4 percent drop arid followed a revised  percent gain in july which had originally been estimated at stronger 0.5 percent. Hyundai picks Portland As principal entry port Portland on. Up Portland has been named the principal . Port of entry for Hyundai cars with up to 250,000 autos a year expected to come in through a new Dock planned for completion in 1990. . Lee Hyundai North american Market manager said thursday the port has been selected a Hyun Dai s main . Distribution Point. The korean firm currently sends 65,000 ears annually through the port of  officials announced last february plans to build a 112.3 million Dock terminal and processing Plant on 75 acres of port property. Completion is scheduled in february 1990. The port of Portland was selected by Hyundai from among 22 ports under consideration. The three finalists also included the port of Kalama and port of Tacoma in Washington stale. Drought seen harming Rural area mental health Indianapolis a the 1988 drought has increased the need for menial health services in Rural areas says a former Cabinet official. The drought this summer has made a bad situation worse for Many said Bob Bergland the sex Secretary of agriculture who beaded a special commission on Niram Ellal health problems. Citing research conducted before the drought the National mental health association s commission on Rural mental health issued a study thursday recommending the creation of a Federal office of Rural mental health and increased funds for alcohol drug abuse and mental health programs. The study. Rural mental health the time Tor action is now also recommends a Brooder crisis counselling network for Farmers