In a political skirmish that included radio and e-mail crossfire, the
mayoral candidates hold each other to blame for L.A.'s road congestion.
By
Jeffrey L. Rabin Times Staff Writer
January 13, 2005
Former
Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn sparred
Wednesday over who should be blamed for the city's traffic problems, which
consistently rank as the worst in the nation.
Hertzberg, who is running
for mayor, used a morning drive-time radio talk show to announce a 10-point
transportation plan dubbed the "Commuters' Bill of Rights." He also said that
Hahn was "asleep at the switch" for missing numerous Metropolitan Transportation
Authority board meetings.
Hahn's campaign spokeswoman, Julie Wong,
quickly fired back in an e-mail to Hertzberg's campaign headquarters. "We are
sending you a Los Angeles Commuters' Bill for $850,000,000 of taxpayer money
that has been and is being diverted from our transportation needs to pay for the
budget mess you left in Sacramento," it read.
Hertzberg, who represented
the San Fernando Valley for six years, left office at the end of 2002 because of
term limits.
The Hertzberg campaign sent the bill for $850 million in
lost transportation funds back to Hahn. "It's pathetic hypocrisy," Szabo
said.
Hahn campaign consultant Kam Kuwata replied: "It's the typical
Sacramento flimflam."
On KABC-AM (790), Hertz- berg told listeners he
wanted to end road construction during rush hours. "What brain-dead idiot does
anything like this?" he asked. He also said he wanted to cut the number of
trucks on the road during commute times.
The Sherman Oaks attorney, who
has his own driver, said he is fed up with traffic. Asked by a caller if he
favored opening carpool lanes to single-passenger vehicles, he said, "If there's
a problem … I'm going to fix it." But he didn't say what he would do.
Among the other ideas in Hertzberg's plan is installing more
synchronized lights and left-turn signals.
Traffic congestion in Los
Angeles ranks as the worst in the nation, according to an annual study by the
Texas Transportation Institute. The study found that motorists commuting during
peak periods in the Los Angeles region spent 93 hours stuck in traffic in 2002,
slightly less than the previous year.
Hertzberg spokesman Matt Szabo said
the mayor, like Hertzberg, had supported Proposition 42, a March 2002 ballot
measure, overwhelmingly approved by voters, that required transportation taxes
to be used for road or transit projects. But the proposition also contained a
loophole that allows the money to be used for other purposes if the governor
declares a financial emergency. Kuwata said there isn't money available for
badly needed road improvements, "thanks to the Bob Hertzberg
loophole."
Kuwata also countered that Hahn has many meetings to attend
besides the MTA board's.
The volley over transportation comes as the
candidates step up their attacks, seeking attention before the March 8 election.
The repartee is expected to continue when Hahn faces his four major challengers
tonight at the second of two debates sponsored by Jewish community
organizations.
Traffic was one of the key issues Tuesday in Tarzana when
the challengers — Hertzberg, state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sun Valley) and City
Councilmen Bernard C. Parks and Antonio Villaraigosa — participated in the first
debate. Parks, who was caught in traffic and arrived half an hour late, wants to
expand freeways and add more express buses to MTA's fleet. He said that public
transit needs to be clean, safe and on time if motorists are going to be coaxed
from their cars.
Villaraigosa, who has served on the MTA board, said the
city needs to provide incentives to encourage employers to promote carpools,
public transit use and telecommuting.
The Eastside councilman also called
for more light-rail lines and extending the Metro Rail subway down Wilshire
Boulevard.
Alarcon said he agreed with the ideas of his fellow
challengers and vowed to fight for a fair share of federal funds for Los
Angeles. "The mayor has failed us in that regard," he said.
