Economist.com Cities Guide: Los Angeles Briefing - September 2005

News this month

Tunnel vision

Despite horrendous traffic jams, driving on LA’s freeways is the best way to get around town. But a 6.2-mile gap in the freeway system, between Pasadena's Foothill Freeway (I-210) and Alhambra's Long Beach Freeway (I-710), has been a problem for decades. California transportation officials have long planned a stretch of freeway to connect the two roads, but residents of historic, leafy South Pasadena—the neighbourhood the road would be paved through—have successfully fought a link for 50 years.

A new solution has been proposed that could keep everyone happy. Congress has approved a $2.4m study to assess the feasibility of a five-mile tunnel to connect the roads. But drivers should not get too excited. The cost of the tunnel is estimated at a daunting $2 billion, and there are bound to be years of wrangles over the project's finances, environmental impact and earthquake resistance.

Pier pressure

Santa Monica’s city council is to spend about $2m on video cameras, bomb-sniffing dogs and extra police patrols on Santa Monica Pier and the nearby Third Street Promenade shopping district. This investment in security follows a call made to police by someone who had photographed “Middle Eastern individuals” taking videos of the pier in a manner described as “inconsistent with tourist documentary”. Apparently the same people were seen filming the Huntington Beach Pier and the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which links LA with Long Beach.

Whether these spottings amount to a credible terrorist risk is a matter of conjecture: FBI agents investigated the Vincent Thomas Bridge filming, and deemed it unthreatening. The men involved have been identified but not charged. On the other hand, the Santa Monica Pier, perpetually thronged with both American and foreign tourists, may be an attractive target.

Green machines

LA’s green drivers will get their reward. Anyone behind the wheel of a fuel-efficient hybrid car—which combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor—will be allowed to use California’s car-pool lanes, even if they are driving alone.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation for the hybrids last year, but Congress had to approve the plan, which includes federal funding. It will be some time before the federal Environmental Protection Agency adds the necessary definitions to the legislation. What seems clear is that only three hybrids on the market will qualify: the Honda Civic, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. That leaves some car dealers fuming, as they have been pushing hybrid SUVs such as the Ford Escape, Lexus RX 400h and Toyota Highlander. Too bad: California law states that qualifying hybrids must get at least 45 miles to the gallon.

Dangerous skies

Los Angeles International Airport is the fifth busiest in the world, with more than 60m passengers passing through it last year. Long queues and chaotic transport arrangements are familiar complaints. But now air-traffic controllers are also complaining that air safety is being put at risk by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Citing two recent incidents when planes came dangerously close to each other in skies near the airport, the local representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association blamed the FAA for grossly under-staffing the air-traffic control centre (LA Center). The representative offered some disconcerting numbers, complaining: “LA Center handles 23% more planes than it did in 1992 but has 27% fewer controllers.”

Back to school

Antonio Villaraigosa, LA's new mayor, pledged to reform the city’s dysfunctional public-school system in his election campaign. Given the poor performance of the LA Unified School District, his plan to take control was very popular. So why is he so cool about a bill proposed by Gloria Romero, a state senator, which would give him the power to appoint a majority of the school board members? The official answer is that the mayor wants time to line up support for his reforms. Critics, however, say that he has made himself hostage to the local teachers’ union, United Teachers Los Angeles, which together with the state teachers’ union spent over $920,000 to support Mr Villaraigosa’s election campaign. The union, the critics note, opposes the idea of mayoral control.

Catch if you can

September 2005

“Pagliacci” and “The Grand Duchess”

September 10th-October 1st 2005

The tragic and the comic: that’s one way of summarising the opening programme of LA Opera’s 2005-2006 season. There will be seven performances each of Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” (or “Clowns”) and Offenbach’s operetta, “The Grand Duchess”. “Pagliacci”, an opera of betrayal and revenge, is more of a known quantity, directed by Franco Zeffirelli and featuring the world-renowned voices of Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. Intriguingly, the comedy of “The Grand Duchess” marks the operatic directorial debut of Garry Marshall, who directed the film “Pretty Woman”.

“The Grand Duchess” 6pm September 10th; 7.30pm September 15th, 22nd, 28th; 8pm October 1st. “Pagliacci” 4pm September 11th; 7.30pm September 14th, 17th, 21st & 29th. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Centre, 135 North Grand Ave, Los Angeles 90012. Tel: +1 (213) 972-8001. See the opera's website for details.

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