Prop 1C Not Meant to be for SoCal/ Pete Peterson

Since the 2006 passage of Prop 1C the battle of the dispersal of the $2.85B bond issue has pitted Northern California against Southern California, with NorCal coming out on top...so far. The first round of the bond money - about $286MM - was paid out last year with over half of it going to Northern California and the inland counties. If bond monies were allocated on a per capita basis, Southern California would receive over 60% of the total.

Local and state legislators from Southern California, from LA Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa to Assembly Speaker-Elect, Karen Bass, have decried the spending plans, which seem to favor projects supported by Senate President Pro Tem, Don Perata, who represents Oakland.

In his defense, most of the actual spending formulas have not been set by the Legislature, but by the Department of Housing and Community Development, which has allowed that while per capita funding is a priority, it is not the only one. Another important consideration is that affordable housing plans be "transit-oriented", and Northern California has developed more of those opportunities.

Link: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-me-housingbond24mar24,1,2829726.story

Hands Free Not Synonymous with Accident Free/Megan McClendon

As most California drivers know, as of July 1, 2008, a law will go into effect requiring that drivers use a hands free device of some kind to talk on their cell phones while driving. If caught with a cell phone to one’s ear, a driver will face a $20 fine for the first offense and $50 fines thereafter. California is one of the first states to implement such legislation though 95 other bills in 28 others states are currently being considered.

Despite this step, some research suggests that this will not improve the high rates of car accidents associated with cell phone use while driving. Many argue that it is not the use of one hand or two, but where the driver’s mind is that does or does not cause problems when driving.

While most studies out there argue that cell phone use, even with a hands free device, impairs a driver as if he had a blood alcohol level of .08, Pepperdine’s own, Professor James Prieger, disagrees. Prieger counters studies that say drivers actually perform better while drunk than when on a cell phone by positing that if drivers are truly honest with themselves, they will acknowledge that their driving with or without a cell phone is no riskier.

Even with Prieger’s research, the question remains whether this California legislation will actually do anything to reduce the rates of cell phone related car accidents. It remains to be seen. However, come July, we are likely to begin to see answers to these questions.

Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-distract25mar25,1,105874.story

Mayor Cracks down on Potholes/ Aimee Dewing

At a press conference Monday Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that the city had filled its 800,000th pothole. In July of 2005 when Villaraigosa took office he pledged to fill one million potholes. The Mayor touted the great success of his transportation policy, stating the city of Los Angeles is, “not only a pothole filler, but a pothole leader in the nation.”

Yet, critics are quick to point out that the City does not know exactly how many potholes cover the sprawling Los Angeles city streets, and has no real way of measuring pothole-filling progress. Estimates reveal that it would cost around $2.5 billion to properly repair city roads as opposed to simply patching problems after they arise.

The press conference was held in a residential area of Leimert Park and showed the Mayor and the Bureau of City Street Workers ceremoniously filling the 800,00th pothole. The press conference was called after the timely release of a study that found that Los Angeles has the worst roads in California, with 65 percent of them needing repair.

For the city, this study seems to have been just another bump in the road.

Links:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-roadsage24mar24,1,1043181.column

http://cbs2.com/local/Leimert.Park.Pothole.2.678811.html

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=6023653

California Unemployment Rate Falls in January / Laura Elena Ortuno

During the month of January there was a slight drop in the unemployment rate (from 5.9% to 5.7%). This increase in employment was due to the 26,000 jobs that were created in California and also because the screenwriters’ strike ended. Likewise the construction sector was benefited as the weak housing market started to pick up slowly.

In comparison, in February of 2007, the unemployment rate was of 5% which means that there is still progress to be made. Economists still state that the economy is completely flat and that it will worsen during this year.

In L.A., unemployment rate fell from from 5.7% to 5.3% between January and February, yet during the same month in 2007 it was of 4.3%. In conclusion, California is headed towards a mild recession as the rest of 2008 doesn’t seem to offer any changes in this trend.


Link: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-caljobs22mar22,0,3322814.story

S.B. County faces funding loss of $30 million/ Sarah Montes

If budget cuts proposed in Sacramento trickle down San Bernardino County will be facing losses of about $30 million in funding. The estimated cuts include a $19.1 million cut in Medi-Cal, children's services, adult protective services and in-home supportive services locally. Also, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton could see a $3.3 million cut. The county is projected to lose about $13 million in state sales tax money that would help fund public safety services and law enforcement.

Things are not looking good in San Bernardino County aside from budget cuts and diminishing state sales tax, housing sales were down 50 percent in 2007, compared to the previous three years

Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Biane said layoffs will be avoided.

Link: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bsupes19.441796f.html