Accident Drives Home a Point at Chick’s Restaurant Meeting

City Councilwoman Laura Chick was having a breakfast meeting Thursday discussing a facade improvement program for Reseda businesses when it suddenly became clear that the restaurant would need some facade improvement too.

With a loud crash, a Volvo driven by an elderly woman flew through the front window of the Carrow’s Restaurant on Ventura Boulevard, a few feet from where Chick, her field deputy Rayna Gabin and Reseda Chamber of Commerce President Mike Volante were eating.

“Suddenly, there was a crash-bang and I saw water glasses flying and then I saw a man flying,” Gabin said.

The flying man was apparently a patron sitting near the window who jumped to avoid being seriously injured.

The driver of the Volvo had backed into Volante’s car in the parking lot and, in a panic, gunned the engine and put the transmission into drive.

“She went up a 3-foot cinder-block wall and went into the window,” Gabin said. “There was glass everywhere.”

Neither Chick, Gabin nor Volante was hurt.

Starr Crossed

At the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal last month, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) asked freshman Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale) to draft a report on previous investigations into President Clinton and previous administrations.

The goal was for Rogan, a former Municipal Court judge, to offer his thoughts on the legal and political options available to the House in case independent counsel Kenneth Starr uncovers damaging evidence on Clinton.

At the time, Rogan called the assignment an honor. But his Democratic critics think Rogan has gotten himself into a pickle by accepting the job.

That is because Clinton is popular in Rogan’s district, which includes Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena. Clinton’s popularity was demonstrated in the 1992 and 1996 elections when Clinton beat each of his Republican opponents by 8% in the district. A recent poll shows Clinton still enjoys a 60% approval rating there.

Dan Sallick, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, said Rogan is in danger of angering many of his constituents.

“I don’t think anyone wants to be associated with Ken Starr and [House Majority Leader] Dick Armey [R-Texas] and all those people trying to keep the president from doing his job,” Sallick said.

What’s more, Rogan faces a reelection challenge in November by Democrat Barry Gordon, the former president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Sallick insists that Rogan’s association with the Starr investigation will also hurt his chances of being reelected.

“He has sort of become Ken Starr Jr.,” Sallick said of Rogan.

Rogan rejects Sallick’s theories, saying a fair investigation into the charges is in the best interest of Clinton and the voters.

“I think my constituents are fair and want to hear both sides,” Rogan said.

“If I’ve annoyed anyone, it’s the Republican base because I hold out the presumption of innocence for everyone who is accused of wrongdoing,” he said.

Time to Kill

If you wish you could see more of your congressional representatives, your wish is about to come true.

Because regular congressional breaks tend to pile up at this time of year, members of Congress will be out of session quite a bit between now and the scheduled end of the session, Oct. 9. Here is the schedule:

The House of Representatives will return from spring recess April 20, but then takes a week off for Memorial Day, between May 25 and May 29.

Then there is the Independence Day break, which stretches from June 26 to July 13. August provides another big break, called the “summer district work period.” It stretches from Aug. 10 to Sept. 8. After that, the House works for four weeks before adjourning Oct. 9.

For those of you who are not counting, that means that members of Congress are excused from Washington for 47 weekdays between now and the end of session versus 87 days of work.

Those who use the time off wisely and are reelected return to work Jan. 27.

It’s a Girl

Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar) announced this week that his wife, Norma, had given birth Tuesday to a baby girl, Alina Brianna Cardenas, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

It is Cardenas’ second daughter. He has two sons.

Mother and child are doing fine.