MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2012• THE BULLETIN
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CALIFORNIA NEWS
Poll showsmore are feeling upbeatabout state's future By Chris Megerian Los Angeles Times
S ACRAMENTO, Cal i f . — Californians are growing more optimistic about the direction of the state and its finances even as they continue to struggle with a sour economy, a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll shows. The recent passage of Gov. Jerry Brown's tax increases on the ballot, averting a fresh round of bruising cuts to public education, appears to account for some of the shift in attitude. Fifty-four percent of registered state voters said California is moving in the right direction on its budget, and Brown's approval rating has ticked up a few points to 49 percent — the highest since his 2010 election. The number of respondents saying the state is on the right track has more than doubled since they were asked in August 2011. Still, amid persistent double-digit unemployment and other underlying economic problems, that remains the view of a minority, only 38 percent. Similarly, the number who say the state economy is fi-
nally beginning to improve has almost doubled since July 2011, but those voters are also in the minority, just 43 percent. Job losses, salary cuts and other financial troubles continue to affect Californians and their families at roughly the same levelsas a year ago, the poll found. "We started in an unbelievable hole. It's been a tough road back to where we are now," said Stan Greenberg, of
A D emocrat, h e v o t ed
"(California) Startedin cin Unge/jeygg/e ho/e
for t he taxes because "it's
™Portant to have a strong education system." If the tax increases had been rejected, back to where we are nearly $6 billion would have been cut from the budget, now." mostly from public schools. Among voters who cast — Stan Greenberg, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner ballots in favor of ProposiResearch tion 30, the desire to protect schools from more spending cuts was the primary motivathe Democratic polling firm tion, the poll showed. Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Unemployment in CaliforResearch. The company con- nia has remained among the ducted the poll with Amerihighest in the country, even can Viewpoint, a Republican though it dropped to 10.1 perbusiness. cent last month. Thirty-four The USC Dornsife College percent of poll respondents of Letters, Arts and Sciences/ said the loss of a job had afLos Angeles Times poll can- fected them or their families vassed 1,520 registered vot- in the past year. ers by telephone from Nov. Forty percent said they or 7-12. The margin of error is someone in their family had 2.9 percentage points. been hit with salary cuts or a T he polling e nded t w o reduction in work hours. days before the Legislature's Mike Cashara, 52, of Catop financial adviser deliv- laveras County, goes doorered upbeatnews on the state to-door h elping m o r tgage budget, saying C a l ifornia companies keep tabs on forecould see surpluses in a few closed houses. "I've seen a lot of people years even though it still has long-term fiscal problems to struggling," said Cashara, a resolve. Republican. "I've had friends The increase in voter opti- who lost houses." mism comes after a wave of Overall, he has little faith Democratic victories on Elec- in his political leaders. "I love the state, and I love tion Day. In addition to President Barack Obama's re-elec- the weather," he said. "It just tion and the governor's win seems like the taxation is on tax hikes, Democrats are pushing people out." poised for supermajorities in On the other hand, Marilyn both houses of the California Ponseggi, 56, of San Diego Legislature. Atwo-thirds vote County, said things are getin each chamber is needed to ting back to normal. A Demoraise taxes. crat, she works as a city planNoam Meppen, 37, a San ner in Chula Vista. "Our office is a lot busier Diego sales manager, praised Brown for taking a "pragmat- and has a lot more activity," ic and balanced approach" to she said. "When we get busithe budget. er, it's a good sign."
Toll jolts Los Angeles motorists • 11-mile stretch of Interstate 110now requireshefty fee
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By Adam Nagourney New York Times News Service
GARDENA, Calif. — They c all them f r eeways fo r a reason. But one of the symbols of the American freeway — Interstate 110, which runs, or rather crawls, across central Los Angeles — is free no more. At precisely 10 p.m. Nov. 10, motorists faced a toll of up to $15.40 for the privilege of driving an 11mile stretch of express lanes between Gardena and downtown Los Angeles. In most parts of the country, it would be no big deal, hardly worth mentioning. So never mind that t olls have been around as long as dirt roads and covered bridges, and that congestion pricing — as this is known — has become embraced by metropol ises across the country t o combat traffic and pollution. And never mind that its reach here is limited to lone drivers willing to pay up to $1.40 a mile, depending on traffic, for a money-back guarantee that their average speed will never drop below 45 mph. This is the first toll in the history of Los Angeles County, a passage, as it were, and a jarring experience for a part of the country that has long celebrated the primacy of automobiles, not to mention the first syllable of the word "freeway." "I've been living here my whole life," said S. Masani Jackson, as she waited on a 30-person line to buy the transponder requiredto enter the exclusive lanes. "And I have never had to pay for the 110 Freeway. It's ridiculous." M iguel Chavez, 26, w h o lives in downtown Los Angeles, asked the question that has been reverberating across the city: "What else are they going to start charging us for?" Los Angeles County is only putting a toe in the water. The toll applies to ll miles of road, with another 14mile-stretch on Interstate 10 to open next year. It is a one-year pilot program, funded by the federal government. Carpoolers (which is defined, generously, as a vehicle carrying two passengers), mo-
BITUARIES
ex Lintwasas m o o e iance in t e a an s By Margalit Fox New York Times News Service
It was supposed to have been a nice soft landing: a colonial assignment that married the twilight of a capable if unremarkable diplomatic career to the governorship of an obscure British outpost at the twilight of empire. "A tranquil but absorbing posting" was the way the British Foreign Office described the job, Sir Rex Hunt later recalled. And thus he was dispatched in 1980 to take charge of the Falkland Islands, a windblown archipelago in the South Atlantic, nearly 8,000 miles from England, where sheep outnumbered people by more than 300 to l. As Hunt, who died Nov. 11 at 86, could scarcely have imagined, his colonial idyll would end abruptly in 1982, when he found himself, literally overnight, directing a tiny band of British military men against an a m p hibious A r g entine invasion. Nor could he have imagined that the invasion would boil over into war before Britain was able to take the Falklands
i,'.
The Associated Press file photo
Baroness Margaret Thatcher talks to Sir Rex Huntin London in 2002. Hunt, who was governor of the Falkland Islands at the time of the Argentine invasion in 1982, died Nov. 11 at age 86. well, that was another matter, as he would soon discover. What Hunt discovered, not long after arriving, was that Britain wanted to unload the Falklands and had installed him to help it do that. By the 1980s, the Falklands had become an albatross. To Britain, the economics of maintaining a colony so distantand whose principal product, sheep, was in no short supply at home — werescarcely favorable. And colonialism was in increasingly bad odor
started planning. The nearest British warship was days away. He hadabout 70 Royal Marines and some 30 localvolunteers at his disposal and, as it transpired, less than 15 hours. Hunt, who retired to England in 1985, said in interviews that the war had been "worth it" for keeping the Falklands British. He remained closely allied with the islands, visiting often and serving as chairman of the Falkland Islands Association and president of the United back. Kingdom F alkland I s lands Hunt's odyssey, FEATURED in any case. Trust. which involved holding B ritain h a d b e e n Rex Masterman Hunt was UARy negotiating the heavily armed ens p o radi- born in Redcar, in northeast emy at bay with a pistol cally with A r gentina England, on June 29, 1926. while pinned down by gunfire, for decades,but the precise From 1944 to 1948 he was a followed by a forced exile and a terms of a handover had never fighter pilot in the Royal Air triumphant return, impeccably been agreed upon. With his Force and later earned a law deencapsulates the waning days reputation for amiability, Hunt gree from Oxford. of colonialism. seemed to London to be just After joining the foreign serBythetime Britain reclaimed the man to persuade Falkland- vice in 1951, he was posted to the Falklands 74 days after the ers that belonging to Argentina Uganda, Indonesia, South Vietinvasion began, more than 900 was in their best interest. nam, Malaysia and elsewhere people were dead. The trouble was, they did not before being assigned to the Hunt, who was knighted in want to. Most islanders were Falklands. Hunt's survivors include his October 1982 for his service descended from the original during the invasion, died in a British settlers, and as Hunt wife, the former Mavis Buckhospital in Stockton-on-Tees, quickly learned, they w ere land; a son, Antony; and a England. determined to remain British. daughter, Diana. In a statement, Prime MinThat Argentina was then in the He was the author of a memister David Cameron said, "Sir hands of a military junta was oir, "My Falkland Days," pubRex Hunt should be a hero no inducement either. lished in 1992. "The role of g overnor is to everyone in Britain," addToday, the Falklands, popuing, "His courage, resolve and rather special," Hunt told The lation 2,563, remains a British judgment fired the spirit of the Independent of London in 1992. overseasterritory,a status that islanders and the British people "In a small colony, he's the only Argentina still bitterly contests. to stand up to aggression." voice the colonials have in LonIn 1980,after three decades don. So the governor has to bein the foreign service, Hunt come part of the colony." landed in Stanley, the FalkThis stance did not please lands' capital and only town. London, which by all accounts Death Notices are free and "My only real i mpression worried that its man in Stanley will be run for one day, but was of how small it was," he had "gone native." specific guidelines must be "It looked as said afterward. On March 31, 1982, London followed. Local obituaries if a puff of wind could blow it learned that Argentina was are paid advertisements away." poised to invade the Falklands. submitted by families or But the rough-hewn, rainThe Foreign Office informed funeral homes.They may be soaked landscape reminiscent B ritain's ambassador to t h e submitted by phone, mail, of his native Yorkshire, and he U.N. It informed the U.S. One email or fax. The Bulletin soon came to embrace — and person it did not inform — for a reserves the right to edit all be embraced by — the Falk- full day — was Hunt. submissions. Please include lands' 1,800 inhabitants. About 3:30 p.m. April 1, Hunt contact information in all Lying300 miles off the south- received a cable now widely correspondence. ern tip of South America, the considered remarkable even by For information on any of Falklands have been claimed the standards of British sangthese services orabout the since the early 19th century by froid. It read: obituary policy, contact "We now believe that the ArArgentina, which calls them 541-617-7825. Las Malvinas. In 1833, they gentine task force will assemble Deadlines:Death Notices were also claimed by Britain. off Cape Pembroke by dawn toare accepted until noon A century and a half of interna- morrow stop no doubt you will Monday through Friday for tional discord followed, though wish to make your dispositions next-day publication and by it never erupted into war. accordingly." 4:30 p.m. Friday for Sunday When Hunt arrived there, Hunt considered the possibiland Monday publication. A rgentina still w a nted t h e ity that the cable was an April Obituaries must be received Fool's joke, rejected the idea and Falklands badly. Britain by 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday for publication on the second dayafter DEATHS ELSEWHERE submission, by 1 p.m. Friday for Sunday or Monday publication, and by Deaths of note from around sorial presence as an appraiser 9 a.m. Monday for Tuesday on "Antiques Roadshow." Died theworld: publication. Deadlines for Richard Robbins, 71: Com- Wednesday in Williston, Vt. display ads vary; please call poser whocreated memorable Connie Waid, 96: A Beverly for details. scores for such films as "A Hills hostess whose dinner Phone: 541-617-7825 "HowRoom With a View," parties began during HollyEmail: obits©bendbulletin.com ards End" and "The Remains wood's Golden Age and beFax: 541-322-7254 of the Day" during a quarter- came an enduring social instic entury c o llaboration w i t h tution. Died Nov. 10. Mail:Obituaries — From wire reports directorJames Ivory and proP.O. Box 6020 ducer Ismail Merchant. Died Bend, OR 97708 Nov. 7 in Rhinebeck, N.Y., of Parkinson's disease. Wendell D. Garrett, 83: An authority on American decorative arts and known to public-televisionviewers forhislong,profes-
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Obituary policy
Monica AlmeidaI New York Times News Service
Los Angeles County's first tollwent into effect for express lanes on lnterstate 110 — a jarring experience for motorists used to the "free" in freeways.
marked by stark differences in wealth, the notion of being able to pay to escape traffic rankles. " Look w h ere t h i s i s : gan in neighboring Orange County in 1995. South Central," Jackson, Genevieve Giuliano, the di- the longtime resident, said. rector of the National Center "Why don't they do it on for Metropolitan Transporta- the West Side?" tion Research at the UniversiThere are similar proty of Southern California, said grams i n Mi n n e apolis, the increasing crush of traffic Denver, Seattle, Salt Lake here, combined with cutbacks City and H o uston, and, in federal highway construc- most recently, on part of tion funds, made these kinds the Beltway in Washingof programs more urgent. ton, D.C. Still, the relative The tolls ar e t h e l a test modesty of the Los Angemanifestation of a campaign les program has stirred by Los Angeles officials to questions about its ultimate challenge the primacy of the effectiveness. "I'm not too optimistic automobile to deal with congestion that has long been about major, big results for a threat to the city's vitality. the Los Angeles project," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Robert Poole, direchas advocated a sharp expan- tor of transportation at the sion of the region's subway Reason Foundation, a libersystem and encouraged the tarian policy research orgause of bicycles. nization. "I hope I'm wrong. "People want relief," said But I suspect that most of Mark Ridley-Thomas, a Los the users will be freebies. Angeles County supervisor. They won't c ollect very "There's nothing complicated much revenue. And if only about it. Considering that LA a small percentage of peodistinguishes itself as the traf- ple are paying the charge, fic congestion capital of the the impact on congestion is nation, we felt obligated to in- going to be small." novate, experiment, whatever we can do to make driving on the freeways morebearable." A REVERSE MORTGAGE... Richard Galvaz, who lives Now's the Time in El Monte, said the toll was a fairprice to escape what can Call Me To Learn More be a 45-minute drive. "It's worth it if you're in a hurry to get home," he said. Your Oregon Reverse Mortgage Specialist "You got to pay the price. If not, get stuck in traffic. If you 541.350.7839 can't afford it, take the bus." 25 Years The $20 million expected to Experience SECUR ITY L E N D IN G be raised annually by the toll speaaricrng metrvcnr Aorrgagcs (888) 617-8558 is going to expand bus lines NMLS 57716 61310Columbine Lane Bend OR 97702 MNLS ID 98161 in the region. Still, in a city torcyclesand buses continue to ride for free. And the county has a nearby example to study, since congestion pricing be-
Mike LeRoux
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201 2 THANKSG IYING DEADLINES For Thursday, Thanksgiving, November 22, 2012 and Friday, November 23, 2012
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