This is the city: Los Angeles, California. I work here. I'm an ex-mayor. Los Angeles is a magnet for people from all over the world. Some of them run for public office. Inevitably some of them stray from the golden rule and rule for those that have the gold. That's when I go to work. My name is Yorty. I'm a dead pol.
The terms "Crack Ho", "Slut" and "Whore", which were uttered on KFI 640 A.M. by white radio hosts, was the cause for the reunification of the Clowncil Central Committee three African-Americans representatives. After weeks of racial accusations over Redistricting 2012, Councilpersons Jan Perry, Bernard Parks and Herb "Mini Amin" Wesson join together in a double standard attack on the "supposed radio beacon of hate" KFI 640 A.M. There is nothing like freshening the street creed by attacking "Whitey" (Rush and "John and Ken") and his grip on the talk radio air waves.
The usual racial bean counters and their politically correct allies took to the podium in attacking "hate radio". Except they fail to mention the likes of MSNBC's Ed Schultz or HBO's Bill Maher who have been more explicated and constant with their bile commentary. But in the end, two voted to stand against this exercise in double standard race baiting, Councilman Mitch Englander and Joe Buscaino.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl is awfully upset about all the traffic on the Westside caused by President Obama when he came to LA to raise some money for local Dems. Rosendahl wants a report saying that Obama created a lot of frustration with his visit and he wants answers now!
No matter what you think of Zuma Dogg; he hears things and no not just the voices in Bill Rosendahl's head. I've been telling you that Richard Riordan and Eli Broad are planning to throw Tony under the bus; looking for that pro-developer mayoral candidate that can get elected as the antidote to the Coming City Superstorm and the force of Hurricane Zev. Everyone from Bob Hertzberg to Rick Caruso has been mentioned. The challenge for Mssrs. Riordan and Broad is that they need someone who 1) they can work with 2) is pro-development and 3) can overcome #1 and #2 enough to dull the pitchforks and torches coming from Sunland-Tujunga, Studio City, West LA, Granada Hills, CD14, et al.
Speaking of Zev, I spoke to one of the bigger developer types in LA today; he's convinced Zev will run for Mayor. And this piece here represents more of the "coming city superstorm" that is going to cause a massive anti-development political earthquake in Los Angeles.
If you want some entertaining reading check out the "talk" page for Mayor Villaraigosa's entry in Wikipedia. The discussion includes interesting debate among Wikipedia's volunteer editors and contributors about what should and shouldn't be said about Tony Villar (including "Should it be noted his birth name is Tony Villar?" Answer: yes).
To be sure, Zev is doing the things one who would challenged an incumbent who is viewed as vulnerable would do. He's getting out in public. He's scrapping with the incumbent on bread and butter issues. And he's speaking to concerns that a significant portion of the community - especially those active folks who vote - feel that the current Mayor has abandoned them on.
The Mayor has shown near universal support for the significant development activity in Los Angeles. So much so that Villaraigosa has declared the building crane as the "official bird of Los Angeles." Yaroslavsky has spoke to community groups all over the City on the topic. Many of these community groups are up in arms over development. At a recent meeting of Valley VOTE, Zev told those assembled. "There's a new regime in LAs planning department that believes densification is the answer to all our ills." He referred to the Mayor, planning director Gail Goldberg and Council Members Eric Garcetti, Herb Wesson, Jan Perry and Bernard Parks as "development hawks" who want to approve everything developers request.
That kind of rhetoric is classic Zev but it could gain traction amongst the NIMBY factions in Los Angeles. Yaroslavsky in questioning the Mayor's planning policies could be quietly and slowly amassing the support of anti-development minded community leaders who could shift large chunks of votes his way.
Zev is no stranger to politics. He was first elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1975, a race he was not expected to win, and stayed there for nearly 20 years. Since 1994, he's served as the Third District Supervisor for Los Angeles County. Indeed, Zev has considered running for Mayor before and many insiders say that its a post he's coveted for decades.
Besides his tour of anti-Villaraigosa speechifying, another sign of a potential run is Zev's girth. As one who's had a frequent battle of the bulge, insiders say that when Zev is ready to run for something, he trims down. In this recent video clip Zev is looking a bit more svelte than usual.
The video clip too is another sign. Zev has taken to using You Tube to post flattering videos of himself. Just in time for blogs like us to embed them and to create an archive for a future campaign site.
Zev isn't saying anything just yet, but if he does run, you read it here first.
With Mayor Villaraigosa in even more deep doo doo recently, could local pols smell blood and be testing the waters? Are more politicians considering challenging a perhaps mortally wounded Mayor when he seeks re-election? And could a deal be in the works to steer City Controller Laura Chick to Yaroslavsky's county supervisor seat should Zev be elected Mayor?
Tammy Bruce and others aren't going to like this but it has to be said. Ray Bradbury is an excellent writer who has penned many classics but at age 87 he is a blabbering fool when it comes to transportation issues in Los Angeles.
For years Bradbury has had a major woody for monorails as a transportation solution in Los Angeles even though there are many, many operational and logistical reasons why such a system wouldn't work. LAist has video of Bradbury once again rattling on about monorails. If you want to explore something beyond busways, light rail and subways personal rapid transit (PRT) might be the perfect hybrid of mass transit and the independent LA car culture.
Lets just not hope people use their sentimental attachment to Bradbury as a reason to implement a poor transportation decision. We already have folks like Zev Yarovslasky who can make these poor decisions on his own.
Welcome to an The Transit Coalition weekly newsletter! Our organization participates in meetings with key decision makers and community leaders and our goal is to keep you informed on the latest developments in the transportation scene across Southern California.
Action Alert: High Speed Rail would receive an augmentation of $55 million under a deal stemming from the state Budget Conference Committee. $40 million would be allocated from the Public Transportation Account and $15.5 million would come from the unspent Proposition 116 rail bond funds (1990). Also, conferees reached a compromise on the California FY 08 budget that partly restored “Spillover” funds for transit operations. $749 million from the $1.3 billion Spillover and transit funds was allotted for public transit operations, while the remaining $551 million will go to various pots for transportation. However, subject to further negotiation among legislative leaders, the budget must now go to the desk of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, where a line-item veto absolutely remains a threat.
At this time, please direct your emails towards the governor's office, expressing your support for full funding of this critically important project and the transit dollars needed to keep buses and trains moving.
Better yet, do any of the following:
(1) Call Governor Schwarzenegger at 916-445-2841; (2) Fax the Governor at 916-327-1009; (3) Call Senator Don Perata at 510-286-1333 or 916-651-4009; (4) Contact Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez at 916-319-2046 or Speaker.Nunez@assembly.ca.gov; (5) Contact Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman at 916-651-4033 or http://republican.sen.ca.gov/web/33/feed.asp; and/or (6) Get your friends and family who live in the Central Valley/Fresno area to contact Assembly Republican Leader Michael Villines at 916-319-2029.
Los Angeles County Supervisor and Metro Board member Zev Yaroslavsky has been at the forefront of transportation improvements in Southern California. His efforts to improve public transportation were the subject of an interview with Metro Investment Report. Yaroslavsky revealed that much of the traffic headaches can be found on the Westside. While options such as converting Olympic and Pico Blvds. are considered (it being the subject of a recent town hall meeting), rapid transit will still play a major role in Westside mobility. "In looking at the long term, the extension of the subway offers the most promise," Yaroslavsky concluded. Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties get ready for two major transportation projects: A widening of the 101 Freeway and 2 new sidings along the Union Pacific Coast route. Placentia got some train horn relief when a "quiet zone" through the city went into effect last weekend. Similarly, work begins to reroute Union Pacific train tracks in Pomona, which promises relief from train noise and vibrations.
Amtrak and GrandLuxe Rail Journeys (formerly American Orient Express) are teaming up to attach seven special GrandLuxe cars to regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. More than 90 departures are scheduled from November to early January. The new service, dubbed GrandLuxe Limited, will be available on the California Zephyr from Emeryville to Chicago and on the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago .
A recent study on how transit-oriented developments in Los Angeles affect travel behavior revealed disappointing results: Few people who live in them actually use the transit system. Worse yet, the amenities that come with them tend to attract more traffic. The Los Angeles Times performed its own survey of TOD residents that concluded most of them still used their car to work, largely because rail lines do not reach desired destinations and job centers are moving away from transit centers. Nevertheless, proponents believe TODs will be a crucial element to rein in growth and mobility from now on.
So how does it feel like to commute between the Inland Empire and Orange County ? Take a look at this article from the Riverside Press-Enterprise. One particular Metrolink commuter revealed that driving from her home in San Bernardino to her work in Stanton would take 3 hours, whereas taking Metrolink for part of the trip reduces the travel time to 2 1/2 hours.
Thank you for your donations! We would like to express our gratitude for your donations, which help us prepare materials and educate elected officials, community activists and business leaders on transportation issues. If you have not done so yet, you can still donate and join The Transit Coalition. A monthly subscription to Moving Southern California comes with your membership. Visit our new and improved Donations page to explore other options. Your contribution is greatly appreciated.
Would you like to drive down the Santa Monica Freeway, without actually handling the steering wheel? If you can't find a chauffeur, perhaps the " smart car" would suit you. Scientists are studying ways of completely automating car travel. Engineers believe Intelligent Transport vehicle systems can solve numerous ailments of driving, from road capacity management to accident prevention.
As if it wasn't common knowledge already, the Reason Foundation would like you to know California drivers deal with some of the worst traffic in the nation. Their ostensibly reliable report concluded that only six other states have traffic worse than here. However, most believe that the expense and difficulty of obtaining right-of-way makes freeway expansions prohibitive. In response, some believe congestion pricing ( perhaps at LAX) can help ease existing road capacity, while others believe public transportation is the way to go.
Los Angeles Councilmember Bill Rosendahl mulls a motion to ask Santa Monica to mitigate any traffic in Pacific Palisades resulting from construction of an upgraded California Incline. Snazzy credit card parking meters went up on the curbs of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills , even as Los Angeles considers doing the same. Caltrans is finishing up work on 29 projects in the state that promise immediate congestion relief. Readers respond to concerns (and a Daily News editorial) that carpool lanes in Southern California are clogging up. ( Map)
South Bay Representative Maxine Waters introduced a bill in Congress that would prohibit the relocation of the northernmost runway of LAX. Residents have long opposed the controversial proposal since it would bring the runway hundreds of feet closer to Westchester. Rosendahl stalled the proposal earlier this month by demanding a review of runway safety that would take new technologies into account.
Officials from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach delayed consideration of its Clean Trucks Program, which offered sweeping changes to port operations including banning owner-operators from entering the port. The Clean Trucks Program would allow only trucks that were licensed concessionaires, driven by company employee drivers and would have to meet 2007 emissions standards by 2013. Any truck built before 1989 wouldn't be allowed onto the port after January 1. To promote cleaner rigs, 27 truckers staged a convoy down the Harbor Freeway, with little recognition from passing cars.
Meanwhile, shippers and their clerical workers continue labor contract negotiations. A walkout, which has been authorized by laborers, threatens to shut down the ports. Further south, a proposed megaport in Colonet , Baja California , could act as a safety valve that could give ports north of the border some relief form burgeoning Asian imports.
The recently adopted FY 08 budget for Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority reflects a booming business for the below-grade freight rail route. Cargo volumes through the Alameda Corridor have increased to more than 54 freight trains and 13,600 twenty-foot containers daily, twice the amount from when the railway opened in April 2002. ACTA estimates it will collect more than $95 million in user fees and container charges next year, in addition to government grants. The budget also forecasts $27.1 million for capital expenses and $80.4 million for debt repayment.
One of the most ubiquitous cars on the planet can be found in droves on the streets of India . The Ambassador is not exactly a car that screams luxury and high class, with its derby-hat-like design and all. Nevertheless, the car has been an iconic figure in the subcontinent for the last 50 years. Indeed, white-colored, window-tinted versions of the car are often used to transport political figures, to the point where some say that India is governed in the back seat of an "Amby".
Shameless Plug: The Thunderhead Alliance is an organization dedicated to providing bicycle and pedestrian advocates the tools necessary to carry out and win campaigns. The Thunderhead Training seminar, an intense curriculum on how to effectively fight for improvements, is coming to Los Angeles on August 24-26. Here, you can learn from expert coaches and each other through Thunderhead's proven curriculum on choosing, directing, and winning campaigns and to promote complete streets, where walking and bicycling are safe and commonplace. You can view the schedule or register for the event (the latter form features registration fee information).
Announcement: The Riverside Transit Agency is offering express beach bus service, departing from Temecula and Murrieta shortly before 9 a.m. and arriving at Oceanside an hour later, for a round-trip fare of $3.75.The bus offers riders free satellite television and wireless Internet access. There are three buses each way during the week.
Here is a list of other recent developments:
June 26: Union Pacific submitted a modernization plan for its Intermodal Container Transfer Facility to the Port of Los Angeles . UP plans to replace 10 diesel-powered gantry cranes with 39 electric-powered, railmounted cantilever gantry cranes. The new cranes will enable the company to remove 71 of its 73 diesel-powered truck tractors. The remaining two diesel trucks will be replaced with alternative-fuel vehicles, according to the company.
June 27: A Los Angeles Superior Court judge refused a request by the Bus Riders Union, Labor/Community Strategy Center and Natural Resources Defense Council to prevent Metro from raising fares. The request was submitted too late, according to the judge. Additionally, the petitioners did not adequately explain how the increases would go towards rail projects. Metro argued that the increases would only pay for transit operations.
June 28: The Metro Board adopted the FY 08 budget, which forecasts slightly increased bus service, eight new Rapid Bus lines, and a rehabilitation of subway cars and replacement of Blue Line light rail cars. Board members also voted to study "fixed guideway" options for three transit corridors, including Wilshire Blvd. The Board also voted to study congestion pricing, since Metro and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation lost out on a major federal grant that would fund implementation of such a scheme.
July 1: Metro, the Big Blue Bus, and Omnitrans increased their fares. Most users expressed resignation at the fare increases. A Los Angeles Daily News editorial expressed disenchantment, but also believed car travel was actually becoming a cheaper alternative to public transportation. In other news, fees to use the 91 Express toll lanes in Orange County also increased. Go figure.
If this is the future of public transportation, then keep us in the loop! (Persons with heart, nervous or other bodily problems and those who are nursing should probably not board.)
Upcoming Events: Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority: Thursday, July 5, 2:30 p.m., Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, Board of Supervisors Hearing Room 381B, 500 W. Temple St., Los Angeles .
Consider attending our monthly Transit Coalition Dinner Meeting on Tuesday, July 24 - 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Philippe The Original, 1001 N. Alameda St. Los Angeles CA 90012. ( Map.) We hope to see you there!
SCAG MagLev Task Force: Thursday, August 9, 10:00 a.m. SCAG Offices, 818 W. Seventh St. , 12th floor, Los Angeles . July meeting cancelled.
Get the Print Edition of Moving Southern California, our monthly newsletter. Request a sample copy.
Contact Us: We welcome your thoughts and comments on our new electronic newsletter. Please write us: Bart Reed, Executive Director Numan Parada, Communications Director
About The Transit Coalition: The Transit Coalition is a 501[c](3) non-profit whose goal is to increase Transit Options and Mobility in Southern California by mobilizing citizens to press for sensible public policy to grow our bus and rail network.
As a grass roots group, we depend upon your contributions to allow us to pursue our important work. Add yourself to our mailing list and please donate to help us grow.
But neighbors and Zuma Dogg's favorite Clowncilman, Tom LeBong are opposed to it.
LeBong does support however the notion of a dedicated rapid bus lane on Wilshire Boulevard. Zuma Dogg's other favorite Councilman Bill Rosendahl however is opposed to the bus lane, but only in his district.
