Source Notes 2

Timing is not so swift (The Los Angeles Times, 10/27/2008)

Summary:

On October 27, 2008 the Los Angeles Times reported that Californians would vote in November 2008 on Proposition 1A, which would finance America’s first electric bullet train and run it between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  This is an important source because California is a trend-setting state, and any development there might lead to a more national emphasis on high-speed rail.

Topic:

High-Speed Rail Policy

Category:

Journalistic

What is it?

a newspaper article

Publication Information:

The name of the newspaper is the Los Angeles Times.  The article was published on October 27, 2008 in Los Angeles.

Author:

George Skelton

Location:

The Los Angeles Times

Accessed:

January 28, 2009

Support:

Californians, residents of the state of California

train backers, backers of Proposition 1A

Ron Diridon, former board chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority

California Alliance for Jobs, a coalition of heavy construction companies and union workers

Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California

The Prop. 1A camp, supporters of Proposition 1A

James Moore, director of USC’s transportation engineering program

Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times reporter

Reason Foundation, a Libertarian think tank

Adrian Moore, the Reason Foundation’s director

Californians are the people voting on the proposition that would finance the electric bullet train.  The train backers are a vague group mentioned throughout the article, and sometimes identifies as certain groups.  Rod Diridon advocates that building new public services is an effective way to create jobs during slow economic times.  The California Alliance for Jobs is never quoted, but publicly supports the proposition that would provide the state with many new jobs.  Arnold Schwarzenegger unofficially endorsed high-speed rail projects during a speech for the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.  The Prop. 1A camp, another name for the train backers, claims the rail line would be constructed without raising taxes.  James Moore claimed that possible ridership and construction cost for the rail line have been overestimated.  Eric Bailey reported the comments by James Moore.  The Reason Foundation reported that the rail line would cost over $80 billion, and lose over $4 billion a year.  Adrian Moore represented the Reason Foundation in saying that “the current high-speed rail plan is a fairy tale.”

Audience and Agenda:

The Los Angeles Times has operated since 1886 and claims an unspecified readership of 955,211.  The main focus of the paper is on the Los Angeles metro area and California as a whole.

It is currently funded by Sam Zell, who is the co-founder and chairman Equity Group Investments, a private investment firm.  The article was funded by Zell’s Tribune company to inspire support among Californians for a new high-speed rail line that will ultimately benefit his private investment firm Equity Group Investments, which has many properties in California.

Usefulness:

This source is in a regional context, focusing on California.  California has just started planning on the second high-speed rail line in the history of the United States, which will have much influence on national high-speed rail policy.

The article was created by a Los Angeles Times reporter trying to dissuade Californians from voting yes on Proposition 1A.  It is addressing all California residents, and specifically people living in and around Los Angeles.  It is arguing that California’s economic situation is too unstable to be funding a new high-speed rail project.  That seems to be a similar argument to the rest of the nation’s.

It leaves out ridership information for the current rail system, how many jobs it might create, and any comments by the California Alliance for Jobs.  Although the article mentions a supporting group and interviews one supporter, it obviously doesn’t support the proposition.

Focusing on California, this source relates to Source Notes 3, Source Notes 9, Source Notes 27, Source Notes 21, Source Notes 19, and Source Notes 28.

Works Cited:

“Los Angeles Times.”  Wikipedia.  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times>

“Ulrichsweb.com.”  Ulrich’s Periodical Directory.  <http://0-www.ulrichsweb.com.janus.uoregon.edu/ulrichsweb/>

The Los Angeles Times.  <http://latimes.com/>

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Filed under: Journalistic