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Southern California Life
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Wednesday, September 28, 2004 LA
City Council promotes Red Line; something stinks with LA County
Supervisors
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The LA
times reported that the Los Angeles City Council gave
"unanimous support to working to overcome the
formidable legal and financial obstacles that block
additional subway construction in the city."
According to the Times, Councilman Tom LaBonge stated,
"congestion has reached a breaking point".
Zev Yaroslavsky, an LA County Supervisor said "To
invest in $300 million per mile - money we don't have - just
makes no sense."
Obviously, financial concerns are reason for pause.
Nonetheless, if Los Angeles does grow, something will have
to be done, and it will be expensive.
"The subway, we don't think is a viable transit mode
for Los Angeles," says the Bus Riders Union.
Actually, the bus isn't a viable mode of transit for Los
Angeles. The bus will only be so successful, on the other
hand the subway offers much more potential. Many people who
ride the subway will not ride the bus, ever.
While much has already been spent on the Red Line, it must
be recognized that traffic is going to become a much larger
problem in Southern California in the next decade. Any
solution is going to cost a lot of money. Since there isn't
much room for freeway expansion, only the subway - Not Buses
- offer a real solution.
Perhaps the County should sue the remnants of the
conglomerate of oil, tire, and automobile companies that destroyed
the areas original rail system?
What are they doing with my money, man?
Steve Lopez pointed out in the LA
Times today that Los Angeles County of Supervisors is
playing with millions of dollars of 'discretionary' tax
dollars. For example, Gloria Molina has saved about $15
million of Los Angeles County Taxes to help fund a Mexican
American Center.
While I am certainly not against a Mexican American Center,
how does $15 million of tax-payer money simply become
'discretionary'? My tax dollars should pay for known
services, not the pet issues of high level bureaucrats. Of
course, Mrs. Molina won't personally gain from the use of my
money without my permission, nor will any of her political
causes, I'm sure.
Since 5 Supervisors get about the same money, 5 times $15
million equals $75 million in discretionary funding? Are you
kidding me?
Supervisor Yaroslavsky, an MTA director, claims we don't
have money for the subway, yet the county supervisors -
single-handedly - could cover almost 10 percent of the cost
with just 'discretionary' funding.
With that kind of discretion, no wonder LA County doesn't
have any money.
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