L.A. has broken ground on something that once was unthinkable -- toll lanes -- for two traffic-cogged freeways, the I-10 and the 110. Drivers will be charged up to $1.40 per mile to avoid the slowdowns. Swell.
From Abby Sewell and Sam Allen in the L.A. Times: "But the toll lanes still face some tough
financial and political questions. To the south, Orange County has one of the
nation's largest networks of toll lanes and toll roads, which have been hit
hard by the recession. Ridership is down on all of Orange County's toll roads —
notably the 91 Express Lanes, which is a model for the L.A. County experiment. Riders on the 91 can pay up to $9.75 to use about 10 miles of toll lanes during
rush hour."
"Roughly
11 million trips were recorded on the 91 Express Lanes last year, compared with
11.5 million the year before, said Joel Zlotnik, a spokesman for the Orange
County Transportation Authority. Those numbers were down from annual totals
between 13 million and 14 million before the recession."
"Converting carpool lanes into toll lanes has also been hit with opposition from
some on the left and the right, including two influential members of Congress
from California."
A major revamping of firefighting jurisdications now on the governor's desk includes provisions that allow double charging with little or no improvement in service. Capitol Weekly's Greg Lucas tells the tale.
"One of the three budget trailer bills Gov. Jerry Brown has yet to sign imposes
a first-ever annual fee of up to $150 on the estimated 860,000 homes located
within the 31 million acres for which the state provides fire protection."
"Opponents of the fee, which include the Regional Council of Rural Counties,
contend it is double taxation since some landowners have already agreed to
assess themselves to pay for fire protection."
“With this fee, residents aren’t getting any more fire protection than they
already have. So a property owner that’s already covered by the state and a
local fire protection district will simply be paying another fee for the same
level of protection,” said Catherine Smith, executive director of the Fire
Districts Association of California, which represents 360 fire districts around
the state - many of them located in unincorporated rural areas."
"Smith’s association estimates residents of at least 7 million acres of state
responsibility fire areas already pay for local fire protection."
Sometimes, CalPERS just can't seem to get it right: For the second time in three weeks, the pension fund has hired a company that has defrauded it.
From the Bee's Dale Kasler: "CalPERS confirmed Wednesday that it has re-hired Boston's
giant State Street Corp. to be its "master custodian," which means it
keeps custody of certain securities and other financial assets. CalPERS agreed
to a three-year contract with State Street."
"The decision came about two years after then-Attorney
General Jerry Brown sued State Street, claiming it had defrauded CalPERS and
CalSTRS while acting as custodian. Brown's lawsuit claims State Street
defrauded the pension funds out of
$56 million by overcharging them on foreign currency trades."
"State Street, based in Boston, denied any wrongdoing; the
suit is pending in Sacramento Superior Court. CalPERS' decision to rehire State Street was first
reported by Bloomberg news."
Speaking of money, things are heating up in the fight over online poker, with a key measure taking major amendments and a rival bill waiting in the wings. Capitol Weekly's Malcolm Maclachlan has the story.
"Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, believes his online poker
bill, SB 40, will make it through the Legislature even if he misses Friday’s
policy committee deadline. That’s because back in May, Correa put an urgency
clause on the bill, making it eligible to bypass some of the deadlines that can
kill legislation - most of which have already passed. He also promised changes to
make the bill what he described as more “consumer friendly.”
"On Wednesday, he amended the bill again to open up the opportunity for more
types of companies to offer poker, while more harshly punishing those who break
the rules.
Both Correa’s bill and a competing online poker measure will be heard in the
Senate Government Organization Committee on July 12. It will be an
informational hearing, and neither bill is currently scheduled to come up for a
vote."
"The author of that rival bill is also the chair of the Committee — Sen. Rod
Wright, D-Los Angeles. His bill, SB 45, hasn’t changed or moved since being
introduced in December. But it carries the same urgency clause that could allow
it to take effect more quickly after passage. As currently drafted, Wright’s
bill has fewer specifics, focusing more on creating a framework for online
poker."
The rivals in the race to succeed Janice Hahn in West LA's 36th Congressional District are spending big bucks on their campaigns.
From Chase Davis at California Watch: "Democrat Janice Hahn, a Los Angeles city councilwoman,
and her opponent, Republican businessman Craig Huey, have combined to spend
more than $1.5 million so far on the 36th Congressional District race, which will be decided
in a special election Tuesday."
"As the LA Times has noted, the race has been unusually combative for a
district largely seen as a Democratic safe haven. Democrats have an 18-point
voter registration advantage in the district and saw Gov. Jerry Brown win by a
double-digit margin last fall."
"Hahn has raised more than $1 million, and, as of reports
filed late last week, still had more than $300,000 on hand. But she also
had debts to match. Huey, a direct marketing executive from
Torrance, loaned his campaign nearly $700,000 and has raised about $144,000
more. His spending has slightly outpaced Hahn's going into the final week of
the campaign."
A first-in-the-nation attempt to require school textbooks to reflect the perspectives of gays and lesbians awaits action by the governor after emerging this week from the Legislature. Capitol Weekly's Michael Panush has the story.
"The bill has ignited partisan passions, with widespread
Democratic support and Republican disapproval. A similar bill introduced by
former Sen. Sheila Kuehl, a Santa Monica Democrat, SB 1437, was passed in 2006
with the education sections amended, but was vetoed by Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, a Republican."
"According to Leno, his bill is intended to increase respect for LGBT
individuals and prevent bullying and cruelty based on sexual orientation in
California schools. Groups that include Equality California and the
Gay-Straight Alliance Network, among others, have backed SB 48, contending that
it will promote an atmosphere of understanding and respect."
"A number of churches and the Traditional Values Coalition, among others,
denounced the legislation as unnecessary and costly. “At a time when our state
lacks dollars to pay for the current needs in education,” said a statement from
the Lighthouse Baptist Church contained in a committee analysis, “this “Legislature
is actually considering adding more financial burden on schools to pay for new
textbooks that will teach so-called 'gay history.' "
