State Pledges to Screen Records of Bus Drivers

Prodded by a San Fernando Valley lawmaker, state officials pledged this week to immediately begin checking temporary school bus driver permits to find anyone with a criminal or unsafe driving record.

On Monday, Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) disclosed that state officials knew more than a month ago that Harold Keith Lone--charged last week with drunk driving while trying to pick up students in Encino--obtained a temporary school bus driver’s license under an alias and had an extensive criminal record.

Katz said that state Department of Justice policies prevented the release of information on past criminal convictions in the cases of people awaiting trial on a current charge.

As a result of the Lone case, a department spokesman said Tuesday, fingerprint checks will be run immediately on those now holding temporary school bus operator permits “on a priority basis, if we can identify them.”