US Olympic swimmer Abbey Weitzeil says interest in women's sports is spiking
SGV residents invited to participate in local artist’s portrait series documenting political discourse
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Thursday, July 18-July 24, 2024
LA, SD, SF rank in report's top 5 US cities for public transportation By Anusha Shankar, City News Service
| Image courtesy of ConsumerAffairs/Stacker
nia, and Buffalo, New York. 2. San Francisco Annual public transit trips per metro area resident: 53.6 Share of stations ADAcompliant: 97% Safety score: 13.91 out of 20 Average fare revenue per one-way trip: $1.63 With the third-worst commuter traffic in the nation, San Francisco residents might be desperate for other ways to get around. Fortunately, Bay Area Rapid Transit connects the city with its suburbs, and the Muni bus and train system — including the city's famous cable cars — gets people around the city itself. There are also free shuttles to get people to and from public parks.
3. Los Angeles Annual public transit trips per metro area resident: 29 Share of stations ADAcompliant: 100% Safety score: 16.48 out of 20 Average fare revenue per one-way trip: 49 cents Los Angeles, well known as a sprawling car-oriented metropolis, has a transit system that doesn't get as much use per capita as other cities' services. However, it's one of the safest and most affordable transit systems nationwide. 4. Richmond, Virginia Annual public transit trips per metro area resident: 8.5 Share of stations ADA-
compliant: 100% Safety score: 18.27 out of 20 Average fare revenue per one-way trip: 24 cents With free local bus fares across the city, including high-speed buses with some dedicated lanes that provide service every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends, Richmond's public transit system is safer and more efficient than many other large cities' services. Unfortunately, it is used less frequently than any other system mentioned in our top 10 list. 5. San Diego Annual public transit trips per metro area resident: 21
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3 HB council members cry foul on Pacific Airshow deal By City News Service
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ne factor people consider when looking for a new home is how easy it is to get around. Driving and walking are the most common modes of transportation, but prospective buyers and renters are also increasingly considering public transportation. Knowing how you'll get around your new hometown is vital before hiring movers to take you there. To help, the ConsumerAffairs Research Team investigated and ranked the nation's 50 largest cities to see which have the best public transit systems. The analysis is based on 2022 data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Transit Database, and it takes into account how useful, safe, affordable and efficient transit services are in the nation's top cities. No. 1. New York, New York Annual public transit trips per metro area resident: 144.2 Share of stations ADAcompliant: 51.4% Safety score (combining fatalities and serious injuries): 13.07 out of 20 Average fare revenue per trip: $1.75 The nation's most populous metro area is served by a large number of transit agencies, with trains and buses covering the five boroughs of New York City itself, as well as areas well into New Jersey, Connecticut and downstate New York. While the average fare revenue is higher than most, it's still cheaper per trip than in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-
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minority bloc of Huntington Beach City Council members called for Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate the city's settlement of a lawsuit with the annual Pacific Airshow stemming from a one-day cancellation due to the 2021 oil spill. City officials issued a statement July 10 regarding the settlement agreement with the Pacific Airshow on Wednesday, claiming it generates "tens of millions of dollars" annually. That triggered a statement from City Council members Dan Kalmick, Rhonda Bolton and Natalie Moser, criticizing the deal and "inviting" Bonta's office to investigate. In September, U.S. District Judge David Carter signed off on a $95 million settlement of all claims in class-action litigation involving the pipeline oil leak that gushed thousands of gallons of crude into the ocean off Huntington Beach in 2021. Carter ruled that the air show was a member of the class and would have a claim of about $1.9 million, but the attorney for the show at the time indicated it might opt out of the class to pursue a potentially more lucrative lawsuit against Amplify Energy. The city had not released terms of a May 2023 settlement with the air show, but decided to publish it Wednesday. "The city's settlement with Pacific Airshow LLC ensures the potential for future airshow events, which bring in over a hundred million dollars in economic benefit to the region and tens of millions of dollars directly to the city of Huntington Beach each year," Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark said in a prepared statement. City Attorney Michael Gates held back the terms of the agreement "due to the city's imminent lawsuit with Amplify Energy and other oil spill defendants who have taken responsibility for causing the oil spill in Huntington Beach in 2021," according to the city's statement. City Councilman Dan Kalmick called the deal a "massive gift of public funds and I don't think it's legal." Kalmick told City News Service the deal is a contractual agreement ensuring the air show stays in Huntington Beach for 40 years. "We give all the parking away," he said. "We waive all fees, including security fees." Kalmick said, "I believe criminal malfeasance has happened" with the deal, adding, "I'm not an attorney, but if it's not illegal it should be." Kalmick said "no investigation was done to see what our (legal) exposure was" with the lawsuit. He said the city gave away $7 million for "unproven losses," and noted that it was the "unified command" that canceled the last day of the air show in 2021, not the city. Kalmick said the agreement is a 10-year-exclusive contract with three 10-year extensions that only the air show can terminate. If the air show sells the contract to another buyer, the city can only object with a super majority of a City Council vote.