A Little Respect, Please
What matters are their positions on public transit - not how politicians get to work
L.A. City Councilmember Greig Smith's voice could barely be heard over the booming crackle of the train conductor. Smith, a resident of Granada Hills, took a break from his reading on the Metrolink to talk about his commitment to public transportation. He's one of the few local politicians who actually ride the rails - and saves time by doing so. The 35-minute ride to the Sylmar station shaves off 10 minutes from his usual commute.
Smith tries to take Metrolink at least once a week. "We can't continue building freeways. We really have to look at high-speed rail. It is fast and easy and clean. A lot of places have subways that are dirty and crime-plagued. That is not what the system here is." Smith would like to see a Maglev train from LAX to Palmdale and connecting LAX and Ontario Airport, for starters.
Last week, we ran the transit views of 12 of Smith's colleagues. Most of them said they would use the system if it were more flexible and if they did not need their cars to attend meetings outside the office. Councilmember Ed Reyes, who lives in Mt. Washington, might consider making the short jog to the Southwest Museum's Gold Line station once a month. Riding the rails could help him overcome the perception that he's out of touch with his constituents.
One member of the council we didn't hear from is Tony Cardenas. He lives in Panorama City and we couldn't help but do a little research to find a suitable route for him. In the end, taxpayers would be served if Cardenas burned up some of his office time on the bus and subway. It would mean less time for him to create mischief at City Hall.
It was about a year ago that he got his colleagues to support the no-bid sale of bonds needed for the new police headquarters. Maybe if Cardenas boarded the No. 153, a few blocks from his home, and headed to the North Hollywood Red Line Station, and made the long, 90-minute journey to City Hall every day, he'd be less inclined to stick it to voters. On the other hand, he might be too riled up and get into more trouble if he had to give up his comfy car.
Perhaps Cardenas can carpool with his buddies and attend some of the public hearings next week on Westside transit alternatives. There could be some business opportunities for them in the bond business.
MTA spokesman Dave Sotero gave the rundown for the hearings: "We're going to present a number of scenarios and solicit input about these various alternatives. The possibilities include dedicated bus lanes, at-grade and aerial light rail, and subway and aerial heavy rail to traverse the city." Here's the schedule. All hearings start at 6 p.m.:
Tuesday, October 9, Emerson Middle School, 1650 Selby Avenue, Los Angeles
Thursday, October 11, Pan Pacific Recreation Center, 7600 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles.
Tuesday, October 16, Wilshire United Methodist Church, 4350 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.
Wednesday, October 17, Beverly Hills Public Library Auditorium, 444 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills.
Thursday, October 18, Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica.
Who can cure A terminal case of attention-deficit disorder?
James O'Shea seems like a nice enough corporate guy who retains some sharp instincts of a sound newsman, but he's delusional if he thinks shorter stories will save the L.A. Times.
We want longer stories that convey context, a sense of civic debate, and direct readers toward truth.
Consider this case study: Three days after the Daily News' Beth Barrett skewered the union-run, giant utility -Department of Water and Power - over bloated salaries, O'Shea's paper buried a tiny story about DWP's proposed rate hikes. The 305-word story made no mention of the Daily News' investigative gem nor did it even hint at the public backlash against the DWP's reckless, union-puppet management.
Jim, it may be tough to credit another newspaper for a blockbuster story, but out-of-control salaries strike at the core of this poorly run agency. Without mentioning salaries, or the half-billion-dollars the DWP blew on its rehabilitation of Owens Lake, plundered generations ago to feed L.A. sprawl and greed, your readers - and ratepayers - can't evaluate the rate increase. Nor can they make much sense of DWP Commissioner Nick Patsaouras's quote in your paper: "If we are going to gain the trust of the public, we are going to have to tighten our belts, too."
Readers of the L.A. Times will not know why Nick is talking about trust and waste. Barrett's story said the average DWP worker makes $76,949 a year and that 13 percent earn at least $100,000. No need to write a book, though that city agency's shenanigans certainly could fill one. Just a few hundred more words in Duke Helfand's story, and a spot on the cover of the local news section, would be enough to inform readers, guide the civic discussion, and show readers that you have your eye on more than the bottom line.
Let's hear it for the Brian D'Arcy tax
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's goobledygook nonsense about a proposed ballot measure on the telephone tax sounds a lot like the caution and truth-bending of his original denials of marital problems.
Why is it that romance and money make this guy sound like such a duplicitous weenie? Just level with us, Antonio. We, the taxpayers, can understand the facts. No need to turn this 10 percent tax into a 9 percent tax, so it sounds like a decrease. And no need to employ a pollster to see how we all feel in Lala land. Give it to us, straight.
You could do us one favor, however. In the future, when the city finds itself in a financial bind and wants to splurge on a new purchase - say, a Subway to the Sea - can you name it the "Brian D'Arcy Tax," in honor of the union honcho who's running your public utility and winning all those record salaries for his blue- and white-collar workers alike. Sure, DWP is a proprietary department with its own budget separate from the city's, but it still makes a sizeable contribution to the city's General Fund. And, for the sake of harmony throughout Los Angeles, we need it to be run more efficiently - and honestly.
Hang up on AT&T
The bastards at the communications giant ruined the sleek design of the Pasadena-Union Station Gold Line this week. Plastered on the outside of the trains, running nearly the entire length of each car, are huge ads. For this intrusion into the public space, the MTA will earn tens of thousands of dollars as part of a pilot project that gives them 65 percent of all ad revenue.
The exact amount is unknown, but it is in addition to the $17 million, CBS Outdoors' five-year contract for ads on buses. Fine, the MTA needs the money. But couldn't they have negotiated a more discrete size or dictated a more artistic approach. Don't take this as a threat, but the 13-member board will regret it if it ever allows ads piped in over the train's P.A. system.
Who needs AT&T anyways? Last month, the company fired its time lady who gave the correct time every time you called 853-1212.
When the "Time of Day" service began in the 1930s and '40s, telephone operators read the time out loud into a microphone every 15 seconds throughout the day. Simultaneously, operators connected hundreds of callers to the announcement through a switchboard. Over the years Californians have become accustomed to the familiar voice of the "time lady." After a few male and female announcers came and went, Mary Moore emerged as the first major female announcer, followed by Jane Barbe and Joanne Daniels.
"The time recording was the iPhone of 1929," said John Britton, an AT&T spokesman. "In today's world, everybody I know carries a cell phone."
There are still plenty of poor people who don't carry cell phones. The next homeless guy who wants some change - and the time - might be serious.
Published: 10/04/2007
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