Transportation Funding

All this week the LA Times is sponsoring a "debate" between Cato Institute senior fellow Randal O'Toole and local cyclist and writer Will Campbell. Yesterday's writings can be found in Today's Clips. Today's will be available tomorrow (the debate isn't yet posted when I'm doing the clips).

What little conventional wisdom exists about Proposition 91, says that Prop. 91 is a ballot measure without any supporters. In the past couple of months, the California Alliance for Jobs, The League of Women's Voters, LAist, and just random people around the Internet have all urged people to vote against Proposition 91. What's especially weird is that the Alliance for Jobs is the coalition of labor groups that got Prop. 91 on the ballot in the first place.

Next Thursday, the "LA County Transportation Funding Collaborative" will host It's Time to Move LA, a conference addressing the pressing need LA County has to refuel our sagging transportation war chest. A wide range of speakers (everyone from Metro Chair Pam O'Conner to Streetsblog Favorite Donald Shoup) are scheduled to address a wide range of solutions (from HOT Lanes, to a Gas Tax increase, to monetized carbon credits.) Registration Information can be found on the conference's website.

As we approach the start of the new year, we also get closer to the end of the free transfer between LADOT and Metro. While this blog seems to be the only people outside of city government that care about this "stealth fare hike" it is somewhat amusing to compare LA DOT's press release with that for Metro announcing the change.

It is refreshing to go to a transit agency board meeting where everything isn't decided in advance and actual discussion of issues goes on. Back in Jersey, most decisions are made before the meeting starts, and other than listening to the advocates complain, the meetings are all done pretty quick.

EDITED BELOW (10:11 PM)

Being a former lobbyist in New Jersey, I've had about enough media coverage of sex scandals on the news to last a lifetime. But there was one detail from this weekend's article on Hizzoner's escapades that deserved comment.

The Huffington Post has an essay up by Coleen Rowley, one of the Minnesotans who protested the president’s appearance at the Minnesota Bridge Disaster. Rowley notes the irony that her sign now represents with the president vetoing transportation funding while pushing ahead with more funding for the war. Rowley writes: We had no idea, however, … Continued

Metro and LADOT eliminating free transfers on Metro Monthly Passes: Thanks to Bart Reed of the Transit Coalition for tracking this down. As StreetHeat reported last week, the free transfer between Metro and Dash buses downtown will be eliminated on January 1, 2008 as part of Metro's roll out of the TAP cards. However, its going to be awhile until TAP is online on either LADOT or Metrolink buses. The TAP conversion target date for LADOT is late 2008 and Metrolink's is still to be determined. If you're concerned about the decision to eliminate this transfer, why not tell the boss at Metro about it?