Which Way, L.A.?

Half a Million Riders Affected by MTA Strike

By 8 o-clock this morning, the latest labor dispute was already evident with increased congestion on LA freeways. Hundreds of thousands of commuters either took to their cars or were stranded after bus drivers, train operators and mechanics went out on strike against the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Though 23 bus lines operated by private contractors are still in operation, the rest of the MTA-s 185 bus lines are out of service along with all trains on the Green, Blue and Gold Lines. After mechanics reached an impasse with management over healthcare, bus drivers and rail operators walked out in sympathy. Almost a half million people are directly effected; 400,000 of them bus riders. We hear about what-s happening on the streets, and at the labor-management issues, from organizer at the Bus Riders Union, which is not a party to the strike, and Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the board of the MTA. Reporter's Notebook #1: Davis Signs 909 Bills before Leaving Office Arnold Schwarzenegger asked Gray Davis not to sign any more bills before he left office. Because of an October 12 deadline, anything passed by the Legislature that Davis did not sign or veto would have automatically become law. Lynda Gledhill, who reports from Sacramento for the San Francisco Chronicle, has more on Davis' last signings and vetoes. Reporter's Notebook #2: Undocumented Immigration and Children The Immigrant Workers- Freedom Ride and the new law allowing driver's licenses for illegal immigrants have brought an ongoing Southern California issue back into focus. From Youth Radio, LA, street poet Daniel Cacho describes what undocumented immigration can mean for kids.