Posts Tagged: transportation

Recent News

Battle joined for East Bay Senate seat

Former Legislators Nancy Skinner and Sandre Swanson at a candidates' debate in the 9th Senate District. (Photos: Sam-Omar Hall

The race to represent the East Bay in the California Senate is going to be a doozy. In this liberal district, a Democrat is almost certain to retain the seat held by termed-out incumbent Loni Hancock. The question is: which Democrat?

Opinion

Road charge: A funding option

An L.A. freeway interchange at dusk. (Photo: Shutterstock)

OPINION: California drivers are bearing the burden of the state’s transportation funding crisis, with the average driver spending more than $500 a year to repair the wear and tear on their vehicle caused by bad roads. Gas tax revenues currently fund most of the state’s road maintenance and repairs, but gas tax revenues are declining as cars become more fuel efficient and as drivers adopt hybrids and electric vehicles.

Opinion

Crumbling infrastructure is costly, dangerous

California motorists in a traffic jam. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Our transportation infrastructure is literally falling apart due to poor maintenance. Recently, because of deferred maintenance, a guard rail on an East Bay overpass fell onto I-880. The several tons of falling metal didn’t just hold up traffic, it also damaged cars and injured drivers. Our crumbling roads are more than just a nuisance. They’re dangerous.

Opinion

Big Oil should read the fine print

As rush hour approaches, traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Photo: Frontpage)

OPINION: The oil company partisans and their legislative allies apparently failed to read past the first five pages of the bill. Buried in the back pages of SB 350 is a full codification of the 2030 and 2050 climate targets that the industry thought it defeated, along with a powerful new set of directives to state energy agencies to meet those targets.

News

Economy up, greenhouse gas down

A California industrial complex in action. (Photo: Tom Grundy, via Shutterstock)

California’s greenhouse gases declined even as the state’s economy expanded, according to state and federal agencies tracking the numbers. State air-quality regulators reported that carbon emissions fell by 1.5 million metric tons in 2013, while the economy experienced 2 percent growth, greater than the national average.

News

Amnesty for traffic fines, court fees in Brown’s budget

As rush hour approaches, traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Photo: Frontpage)

Gov. Jerry Brown, who got nailed for parking in a yellow zone, is pushing an amnesty program for millions of California drivers caught in what he called a “hellhole of desperation” from spiraling legal fines and fees. Some 4.2 million California motorists – one in six drivers across the state – have suspended licenses because they can’t afford the fines, according to a recent study. Hardest hit are low-income drivers.

Opinion

Progress made on air quality, but much work remains

California motorists in a traffic jam. (Photo: Shutterstock)

As a physician – especially a physician living in Los Angeles – I am deeply concerned about the effects of air pollution on lung health. Southern California is home to some of the most entrenched air pollution in our nation and it affects the millions of our residents living with asthma, heart and lung disease and other chronic health conditions.

News

Lawmakers sworn in. What now?

Newly elected Sen. Bob Hertzberg, a former Assembly speaker, gives a kiss to fellow Democratic Sen. Cathleen Galgiani. Both, along with other lawmakers, were officially sworn in Monday. (Photo: Steve Yeater/Associated Press)

California lawmakers, many elected by razor-thin margins in districts where the turnout was historically low, were formally sworn in Monday for the two-year session. Even on the first day, the battle lines were being drawn for the 2015-16 session.

News

Senate leader: No delay in cap-and-trade plan

A motorist pumps gas at a Costco station in South San Francisco. ((Photo: Broken Sphere)

An attempt to delay inclusion of transportation fuels in California’s program to fight greenhouse gases has been blocked by the leader of the Senate, who said any delays would harm the public’s health and diminish air quality. Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said the bill, AB 69 by Assemblyman Henry Perea, D-Fresno, would not receive a hearing before the legislative session adjourns on Aug. 31, a move that virtually assures the measure’s demise.

Support for Capitol Weekly is Provided by: