Editorial

It's taken me the better part of a day to figure out how best to write about this Sunday's Editorial in the Times concerning the Governor's plan to end the transit subsidy that is part of the gas tax and cut the gas tax.  After spending the bulk of the column attacking the "gimmicks" that created the state transit subsidy and painting transit advocates as disingenuous for decrying the raids on the subsidy; the Times ends with a call for more funding for transit projects.  Regardless of what one thinks of the Times' coverage of issues, they are the "paper of record" for the second most populous city in America, and largest in the state of California so the influence of its editorial page shouldn't be discounted.

In an editorial earlier today, the Daily Breeze, a newspaper covering the area between LAX and the Harbor, praised the city for moving ahead with a car sharing program and studying bike share.  In its own words the Breeze made the case for shared vehicles and managed to do it without calling supporters communists:

Last Year, Bus Rider's Fought for Late Night Service

The horrific July 4th Crash in Mandeville Canyon continues to be a focal point for discussions about bike safety. On Saturday, the Times published a remarkable editorial pleading with drivers to give cyclists their due respect on the road. Later in the day, Councilman Rosendahl's office announced the cancellation of tonight's scheduled meeting on bike issues in the canyon, opting instead to form a task force to decide how best to calm the relationship between riders and drivers on LA's streets.

Maybe there are some Times' editors reading Streetsblog?

But the main thrust of their editorial focuses on a variation of the "They're called FREEways for a reason" argument. Basically, the Daily News is arguing that because the toll roads are already built with gas tax dollars, that turning an HOV Lane into a HOT Lane is a form of double taxation.

From the mouths of college students...

As we get closer to next week’s hearing on Mike Feuer’s transportation funding legislation, you can expect to see more and more piling on as newspapers trip over themselves to see who can write the worst editorial.  So far, the Press Enterprise's "Daily Dude" still has that distinction.