CaliforniaCityNews.org

Guv Signs and Vetoes

The Governor relented on his mass veto threat this weekend.  Citing progress on water negotiations, Schwarzenegger got the pen out and started signing on the dotted line. 

His total for the session stands at 632 new laws approved this session -- which sounds like a lot until you hear it makes him the "stingiest" Governor for signing bills in recent history.  His signing totals have declined in each of the last four years, but he's still not the Veto King -- that still belongs to Deukmejian, who axed 436 bills in 1990. 

Most importantly, if you wanna know what wasn't on the list of bills for the Governor to consider -- Prop 1A securitization and HUTA clean up language.  It's alleged that the Senate is coming back to finish up that piece of business this week.  

And back to the raw numbers of bills, for those of you wishing for a bygone era in which the legislature was less concerned with passing hundreds of bills, Dan Walters reminds us that in 1967, Reagns first year as Governor, the legislature passed over 1,700 bills, and the Guv vetoed just 83 of them.

Get a full list of the signed/vetoed bills here.  LA Times has a good rundown of the major legislation here.

Oakland Parking Policies a "Mugging"?

Oakland pulled a fast one on its residents over the weekend, bumping up parking enforcement times and towing residents whose city records reflect unpaid fines, even though those records are demonstrably out of date.  Ouch.

Now reports are rolling in of parking enforcement officers busting out the tape measure for curb distances, and all manner of letter-of-the-law enforcement, all in a city with 18 percent unemployment.  This is leading some to wonder if these polices are timed right, or as one Chronicle blogger put it, "This city's getting more and more dangerous and the City of Oakland's acting more like one of the muggers, taking money from its citizens who need it more than the City."

Oakland Trib editorializes on the subject, harshly.

Hydrogen Highway Hits Roadblock in Torrance, Residents Equate Fuel Cells with H-Bombs

As the Daily Breeze put it, "When Shell representatives breezed into a Torrance Planning Commission meeting early last month, they expected quick approval for a state-of-the-art hydrogen refueling facility."

Not so fast.  It seems not everyone is up to speed on the latest in fuel cell technology, as some older residents thought Hydrogen cars might be as volatile as hydrogen bombs.  Again, from the Daily Breeze, "visions of volatile hydrogen bombs, burning zeppelins and other wildly inaccurate perceptions."

It seems the oil companies can't win, even when they try to go green.  Maybe they're just to used to being the "bad guys."  At any rate, they've engaged a PR firm and are re-rolling out plans for the facility, which would occupy just a half acre, and are expected to serve just a few dozen cars per day. 

Read more from the Daily Breeze, or to get educated yourself, here's the National Hydrogen Association.  

What Subway Carries 3 Billion Passengers a Year?

Wondering which of the world's subway systems carry the most passengers per year?  Some boast up to 3 billion rides annually, see the stats in this clever video from Good.is, which gets extra points for its Old School Nintendo flair...

New Proposal to Raid Gas Tax

A new proposal out from the Governor's office could result in the state's taking $3 out of every $4 dollars in gasoline tax revenues to balance the state budget.  These dollars, which generally go to local government, would total up to $750 million in each of the next two years.  The San Jose Merc writes that one county's transportation department could see a 90 percent slashing of its budget.

The cuts would more than wipe out the boost cities and counties are set to see from the federal economic stimulus. 

Read more in the San Jose Merc here.

Davis Citied as 'Most Bike Friendly' City in US.

"If you love to bike, you’ll love Davis."  So begins a story in Wired this month on "What Makes a City Bike Friendly?"  The City initiated its bike friendly policies way back in 1967, and has since been looked at as a model for such programs... from the CA Dept of Transportation to the League of American Bicyclists. 

But are they the most bike friendly in the nation?  "“I don’t know about number one,” John Berg, Chair of the Davis Bicycle Advisory Committee, told Wired. “But we are a leader."

Read the full story here.

SoCal NFL Stadium Gets New Life

After some national press attention to neighboring city concerns, the City of Industry's NFL stadium plans could be back on track.  Neighboring Diamond Bar had become concerned with mitigation costs for traffic, pollution and other potential nuisances generated by the stadium.  Under a new deal with stadium developers, the city will get $20 million to assuage their concerns. 

The City of Walnut holds similar reservations about the project, but unlike Diamond Bar have not entered any direct negotiations about the proposed project.  They still plan to go to court to halt construction. 

Read more in the San Gabriel Valley Trib.

Councilmembers Square Off Over Parking Spot

A heated squabble has erupted betwixt Oakland Councilmembers Desley Brooks and Jean Quan, and it ain't over city policy. 

It seems when Councilman Henry Chang left office at the end of last year his coveted parking space (several yards closer to the City Hall entrance than most) opened up.  A question of seniority arose between Brooks and Quan, prompting a five-page legal opinion from City Attorney and former League of Cities President John Russo concluding: they're tied for seniority.

Read on here. 

Upland May Ax Red Light Cameras, Preps for Ticket Refunds

Finding traffic cameras more trouble than they're worth, the Upland City Council is expected to vote Monday night to cease their use.

"The monthly revenue from the service has not covered the salary and benefits of those who review and issue potential violations," Police Chief Steve Adams wrote in a memo last week.  He also noted that the Australian firm the city contracts with is seeking to eliminate an $8,900 per month credit, which he feels "has allowed the system to remain financially neutral at best."

he traffic cameras are also coming under scrutiny across the state as potential safety hazards, as motorists slam on the brakes to avoid the costly (and infuriating) tickets.  Some state legislatures have even voted to ban them.  Read more here.

Does One City Owe its Red Light Camera Vendor $1.7 Million?

Ventura, taking a close look at its contract with an Australian red light camera contractor, decided it was not liable for more than $1.7 million in payments, owing to a "cost-neutrality" clause.  The argument plays into a court decision that invalidated tickets issued in the City of Fullerton based on a contractual structure that incentivized the issuance of more tickets.  An rundown of Ventura's contractual arrangement with its vendor (including a pdf of the contract itself) can be found here. No word yet on whether the city will have to settle up.

We'd like to hear your thoughts -- between the safety concerns, questionable legality and unpopularity of these cameras, are they still worth it?