Joe Crummey on the State of the LA Mayor's Race

00:00:00
Speaker 1: And we continue at two five in the afternoon on the John Phillips Show, Mister Randy Wigs in Culver City.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: John, this is a very creative, yet very weird audience. But sometimes when you hear a drop over and over and over again, it makes you think of certain things. So one listener asked if I could take our new favorite drop, Bob Bonta and tune it to Ba ba Black Sheep Bonta.

00:00:31
Speaker 1: Request fulfilled, don't forget On tomorrow's show, I guess we now have a time nailed down. Spencer Pratt is going to be on the program in studio talking about his run for mayor in Los Angeles. According to a poll that came out this morning, he's in second place. If the election were held today, he would make the November ballot along with embattled Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, who's pulling at a pathetic twenty percent.

00:01:05
Speaker 2: That is Eric Adams levels of patheticness.

00:01:08
Speaker 1: Which means Spencer Pratt could be the next mayor of Los Angeles. And he's going to be in studio talking about his campaign tomorrow at twelve thirty in the afternoon.

00:01:21
Speaker 2: Which means you're going to be in the studio. That's right, So let's hope that the traffic god smile upon me part the ten freeway. Everyone.

00:01:34
Speaker 1: Well, I think tomorrow's the big anniversary over at El Coyote. Oh yeah, so if I come down to the studio and do the show, I might have to go get some tacos after the show.

00:01:47
Speaker 2: You never know, turning ninety five this week, but they don't look a day over ninety four. All right, It is our.

00:01:58
Speaker 1: Pleasure to welcome our next guest to the program, who I'm sure is a big fan Hel Coyote too. He is the host of the Evil Thoughts podcast. You can get him online at joekrummy dot com and follow him on x at Joe Crummy Joe Crummy, How are you, sir?

00:02:14
Speaker 3: I am shocked. Are you telling me that Nithra Raman is not pulling number one?

00:02:23
Speaker 1: It's a shock to the system, isn't it that she's finishing out of the money.

00:02:27
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:02:27
Speaker 3: I'm looking at the numbers on her. The numbers that you guys just mentioned look pretty close to me. I see Mayor Bass at nineteen percent, Nithra Rahman nine point three, and your buddy Spencer Pratt ten point two percent. I think it'd be great if he was, you know, the man come this fall. But a lot of people are gonna have to wake up.

00:02:49
Speaker 2: Well.

00:02:49
Speaker 1: Can you imagine if he makes that November ballot with Karen Bass I believe if he plays his cards right, he could turn that election into a referendum on her performance regarding the fires in the Pacific Palisades. And she doesn't have an acceptable answer for her lousy performance.

00:03:09
Speaker 3: Oh, you're so right. I looked at those numbers today too. Total number of homes rebuilt in the Palisades now is thirteen out of six five hundred and seventy one destroyed homes. I look this up today too. How many permits issued in Alibum? Why don't you guess, John, how many permits do you think of an issued in Alibu?

00:03:30
Speaker 2: Not many?

00:03:32
Speaker 3: Twenty five? Is that right?

00:03:35
Speaker 5: I looked through What is that?

00:03:39
Speaker 3: Twenty five permits issues? That doesn't mean house is built, It means twenty five permits issued. Oh my god, that's insane.

00:03:48
Speaker 2: Yes, these people are never moving back in.

00:03:51
Speaker 3: No, you know, there are a lot of people. You know, I do a lot of music on the side, with a lot of the radio, and you know, we lost a great sax player. I got burnt out, you know, and they just never came back. They left, and when they're in Texas now, they left. Yeah.

00:04:04
Speaker 1: What would you do if you're if you lived in the Palisades and your home burned down of that fire and your home is in the city of La correct in the limits.

00:04:13
Speaker 3: That's correct? Okay, Yeah, I'm a district for my girlfriend is Nitho Roman this year.

00:04:18
Speaker 1: Oh boy, So you've had to deal with that city before for various permits, so you're familiar with what the process is. Like, what would you have done had you lived there in your home burned down?

00:04:29
Speaker 3: Oh? You know, that's a great you know, just selling at pennies on the dollar. And I'll see you when Texas, you know. I don't I don't know, John, I don't know. And there were a couple of times when we here in Studio City during those fires, had a couple of close calls. What I would like to talk about is the insurance costs for homeowners in this state, which I think is completely outrageous and it's gotten much worse since the fires. And I don't know whether that's Karen Bass is a issue that would be the insurance commissioner, I think for the State of California, who apparently spends more time elsewhere than he does here. But I think the insurance cost just to ensure a property in California is ridiculous. I don't know what I'd do if I was burnt out. I really don't know, John, I can't answer that question. And I'm sell off for pennies on the dollar. And I think that's what a lot of people are doing in the Palisades.

00:05:22
Speaker 1: You know, I know the right answer, I know the answer that people want to hear is I'm going to stay and fight. This is my home, and the city and the state.

00:05:31
Speaker 2: They have no right to push me out of my home. It belongs to me.

00:05:35
Speaker 1: I paid for it, I chose that home, I chose to live my life there, and I'm going back and I'm going to rebuild. But just knowing what the process is like, and knowing that these people are just living in a never ending nightmare, I think it would destroy my mental health.

00:05:52
Speaker 2: I really do.

00:05:53
Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, you know, yeah that in your bank account, you know, yeah, you know. And people are way upside now. This is this is an ongoing disaster, and I think you're absolutely right about Spencer Pratt that if this guy can hang in there and push past again girlfriend Nita Raman, And what if forty people are running for mayor or something like that. You know, if he can get in there and make this a referendum on you know, the fire, that would be you know, that could be epic for the city of Los Angeles. I'm a little more cynical than that. And you can get mad at me right now and say, you know, you know, buck up, kid, don't be like that. Okay, you know, but I and you've said it before. Karen Bass has what the support of the unions, She's got the machine behind her. The city is I think in some kind of a cage match with Chicago and New York City to see who could elect the stupidest mayors. I mean, you know, it's amazing. On my podcast when I criticize New Yorkers, and I have a lot of listeners in New York, the first thing I think to them is, I don't get me wrong. I mean, I live in Californi. I don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to stupidity. So you know, I would love to see Spencer Brant Win. I would love to see him on the ballot, but you know, it just seems to me that Karen Bass can be a horrible mayor and can you know, don't even get the streets clean, potholes fixed, trash off the streets. That just seems to be fine with people.

00:07:26
Speaker 1: Chevron made a lot of noise this week by publicly stating that if California doesn't change its policies regarding cap and trade, that they were going to be moving out of the state. We just saw that Starbucks announced that they would be leaving the state of Washington and their CEO would be relocating from Washington to the state of Florida. I don't know if you saw this, but there was a Silicon Valley titan who just gave an interview. Ben Horwitz, the son of David Horwitz, said that the California well tax not a right winger. By the way, the California well tax is the quote best strategy to dismantle Silicon Valley that he's ever seen. Here's the quote. It's been so hard to break the Silicon Valley network effect, but this is the best strategy I've seen. Norway has an unrealized capital gains tax. Norway's got a lot of extremely smart people, great entrepreneurs, but they all left. When you talk to entrepreneurs in Norway, they're like, I literally can't pay the tax because the company got marked up and I own a lot of it and I can't get that money out. It's a private company. I'm stuck, so I have to leave the country. They're basically no tech entrepreneurs in Norway.

00:08:45
Speaker 3: Now, why here that Gavin does not support this? Do I hear correctly?

00:08:56
Speaker 2: That is correct? It's the SEIU union, that.

00:08:59
Speaker 3: Is Yeah, well, you know, there you go. Who's the Starbucks guy again? I should know his name? He ran for president for ten minutes. Who is it?

00:09:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, Schultz is the guy's name.

00:09:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, And he's from the other I notice he's not moving to New York. You know, he's moving to Florida. Yeah, there you go. Who just moved out too? Was it Stephen Spielberg who was in the Palisades? His house did not burn down and he moved out.

00:09:25
Speaker 1: Oh, there's a ton of them. Who are I think it was Peter tiel the billionaire. He moved to Florida. He said he didn't want to go. He would prefer to stay here, but because of California's policies, he had to go.

00:09:37
Speaker 2: Elon Musk did the same thing.

00:09:39
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, Muscus out of here. There is no question about that. But the weird thing that about Spielberg. If I had if he's the right one, the right movie guy, but it was some guy, big movie guy in Palisades, I thought it was Spielberg.

00:09:51
Speaker 2: But the.

00:09:53
Speaker 3: Crack up there is that he moved to New York City. So he went from the fry pan into the fire. So you got to be you know, I guess I have plenty of money. It doesn't matter to you. But yeah, he moved out of California. I think he's still going to keep the house, but he's moved into New York City, where you know where You've got mom, Donnie. You know who's another there's another one.

00:10:18
Speaker 2: Did you see that?

00:10:18
Speaker 1: Kamala Harris was supposed to do a swing through California to sell her book. This is the longest book tour I've ever seen before, by the way. Where she had events scheduled in Sacramento and the Bay Area, all over the place, and she canceled all of them due to what she describes as scheduling conflicts. What do you think the reality was? Do you think she just wasn't selling any tickets?

00:10:41
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's probably what it is. It's going to be really interesting to see if she faces off with Gavin again when the next presidential thing comes around. Did she not buy a house out in where was it? Point Doom? I think I think Kamala had just bought herself a really big place at the Point too.

00:11:03
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh she did, And I've seen aerial pictures of it. It looks like a compound.

00:11:09
Speaker 3: Well, she like right next to Barbara streisand and where Johnny Carson used to live. I knew the area. I think that's exactly where she moved.

00:11:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yeah, No, she's doing well for herself.

00:11:19
Speaker 3: She's very concerned about the environment, so she bought an eighth South South s Wirkland house.

00:11:23
Speaker 2: Yet.

00:11:24
Speaker 3: I know, it's really funny how that works.

00:11:28
Speaker 1: Now, speaking of books, doctor Jill Biden announced that she is going to be releasing her own book, and I guess she has the same motivation of writing that book that OJ did. When he got on Twitter, he said he had a lot of getting even to do, and that's why he went on the social media platform. She was supposedly extremely upset with Nancy Pelosi and company pushing him out of the race, and right before the midterm election, she is going to put a book out where she just lights everyone in the Democratic Party on fire.

00:12:02
Speaker 3: Well really, I hadn't heard that, but it's good. Yeah. Well, I guess they're pretty mad about what happened. But then again, uh, you know, I mean, I I don't I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but Joe Biden was one of the worst presidents I've seen in my entire lifetime. I mean, I'm sorry he was. And I've been around for a long time and I've seen a lot of presidents that are okay, and they're you know, they you know, they're they're okay. They're not great, but they're not really horrible. And there's a lot of presidents like that. But I have to say, the guy that I thought was the worst was Joe Biden. I heard him speak again a week or so ago, and i'd forgotten, you know, but folks, you know, and I'm not kidding, and all the all the rhetorics all came back to me that we listened to for four years you know when we ran a feckless country and say what you want about you know, evil Trump. But I say this about him. And it's funny when historians to talk about people like Teddy Roosevelt, you know, they're pretty cool about it. They go, well, there's a cowboy. We had Teddy Roosevelt. Tr here was something oh that guy. Yet you know, I think the closest thing you have to with Teddy Roosevelt now is a Trump. You know, neither man I think had much interest in the legislative process. Teddy Roosevelt certainly did not. And you know, at least with Trump, love him or hate him, you know, there's a guy in the oval. You know, you get a sense there's a real guy there. But with Joe was bad. And so when they eighty six to him, you know, and they put Commelin in there at the last second. You know, she was a bad candidate too. I mean, she was really bad. And she's still with the word salads all the time, all this crazy stuff. You know, it's she was a bad candidate too.

00:13:49
Speaker 1: Ed Gavin isn't palling much better than her. I mean, you look at his recent poll numbers. What is his approval rating? Somewhere in the low twenties something like that where you want to be if you run well.

00:14:02
Speaker 3: I mean, I don't know what he's I just saw a video of him. Now. He's trying to make some hay on the Gulf War, on Operation etic Fury. You're talking about gas prices and stuff. I was looking at gas price. The average gas price in La now is five point fifty. And of course there's the downtown Chevron that's eight dollars in twenty one stance. And you know what's he what's he going to run a just bitching about Trump? I mean that's sort of what's he going to talk about. You're going to talk about high speed rail? I don't think so. You're going to talk about the insurance market again for homeowners in California. I don't think so. Let's you know, what's he going to talk or you know what's he going to run? A?

00:14:39
Speaker 1: Well, he's just going to try to gaslight us. He's going to say that the high speed rail is a smashing success. He's going to say there's no homelessness in California.

00:14:48
Speaker 2: He's going to.

00:14:49
Speaker 1: Say that we have pay a lot for gasoline because of Trump. He's going to say that there's no retail theft in California. He's going to say that insurance is cheaper here than Florida. He's going to say that we have more rich people than in Florida. He's going to try to come up with whatever spin he can to try to convince the people who live here that they're what they experience on a daily basis is not reality, and figure that people in other states don't know any different.

00:15:18
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you're exactly right. And he's good. He's a good you know, yes, sir, he's real good. And he's telligenic. You know, the year that we had the bond issue for the high speed rail, you know what year that was?

00:15:30
Speaker 2: Its one time ago six.

00:15:31
Speaker 3: Now the bond issue I think was two thousand and eight or two thousand and nine. Okay, it's twenty twenty six and there's no high speed rail. So I mean, yeah, I get. If you can spin that, you're pretty good. If you can spin the homeless thing, you're pretty good. I mean, it's everywhere where I am in District four in LA. It's everywhere. And you know, we you and I talk about this a lot when we're on We complain about it. But yeah, again, you know, I'm in Hollywood a lot lately. I've been on with Boulevard a lot, you know, east of the theaters and all the cool areas there. And besides all the signage and all the bike lanes and all the green paint and all the wasted lanes and all the traffic jams, there's just garbage everywhere. That's just the whole state's turned into that. So if he can spin that, you know, more power to him if he wants to take that to the White House. I you know, I think it's a bad idea, But as you and I have mentioned many times, I am amazed to see that, you know, this stuff, people can talk their way out of it and spin their way out of it. I hope we don't get to that point. And you know, the same thing with the governor's race. We take a look at who's going to replace Gaven Newsom. Is it going to be Eric Swallwell, apparently he's pulling a seventeen percent now, he's leading the field, followed by Katie Porter. There's another one.

00:16:52
Speaker 1: Why do you think so many people who live here are so tolerant of the conditions of the state they're tolerant of the they're tolerant of the crime, they're tolerant of the homeless, they're tolerant of all of the things that didn't used to be here that are now unavoidable. They're everywhere you go.

00:17:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know, the one thing we haven't talked about either is do you feel safe? You know again, I live in the valley and Ventura Boulevard is the main artery. As you well know, at night, I don't think it's safe. I wouldn't want to walk it no way. And so you know, we've got to talk about that too. And I'm not putting down the cops. You and I you know, we don't do that. But they're they're underfunded. You don't seem you know, they used to see too many cops in California. When I was a kid, it had a reputation of being you know, excuse my friends, sort of a hard ass kind of a thing. The cops could be really tough on people. But that was many years ago. And now, you know, I think we were over copped when I was a kid, and now it looks to me we're under copped. You know, we we kind of you know, the pendulum swung too far the other way, So there's that too. It's not just the trash as do you feel safe? You know we are we putting the money into that kind of stuff, but we're not.

00:18:09
Speaker 1: Joe Crubby, host of the Evil Thoughts podcast. You can get him online at Joecrummy dot com and follow him on x at Joe Crummy. Joe Crummy, thanks so much for stopping by my pleasure.

00:18:21
Speaker 3: John always a player.

00:18:23
Speaker 1: Likewise, two five two two two is the telephone number. What eight hundred two two two five two two two. If you'd like to email the show, you can do so at Johnny don't like show at gmail dot com. That's Johnny Don't Like show at gmail dot com and Randy. If you want to listen to us on Saturdays in Fresno, that's easy to do.

00:18:46
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00:19:10
Speaker 3: YouTube, Google on YouTube.

00:19:12
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00:19:39
Speaker 1: Eight hundred two two two five two two two is the telephone number? What eight hundred two two two five two two two. Spencer Pratt on the program tomorrow at twelve thirty. I saw a tweet earlier today from Rick Caruso who was referencing the increase in fees for right chairs coming in and out of LAX, and he said something to the tune of it now costs more money to get a ride home from LAX than the plane ticket cost.

00:20:11
Speaker 2: You know what, Sometimes that's true if you're flying Spirit. At least when I fly to and from when I go to and from Lax to fly to Santa Fe. That Uber ride from my house in the valley to Lax, which is not that long mile wise, is between one hundred and fifty and two hundred dollars when you add in the tip.

00:20:41
Speaker 1: That's insane. Yep, And the price just went up for more.

00:20:48
Speaker 2: On Lax, authorizing a fee increase not just for ride share but for taxis and limos and everything else. Here is Fox eleven and and Lesco's enough already.

00:21:05
Speaker 3: Nowadays ride share riders get ready to pay.

00:21:07
Speaker 4: A lot more to get to the airport.

00:21:09
Speaker 6: Big changes are coming to drop off and pick up fees for Uber and Lyft.

00:21:14
Speaker 2: This is way too much hype music. Guys, you got to tone it down. It's got to be sweeps.

00:21:19
Speaker 6: Drop off and pick up fees for Uber and Lyft.

00:21:23
Speaker 7: Good evening, everybody, you're watching.

00:21:24
Speaker 6: LA Live News tonight. I'm Marlon Teas, thanks for joining us. I'm Christine Devine. Today the Board of Airport Commission has approved new fees for Uber and Lyft rides. They apply to taxis and limousines as well.

00:21:36
Speaker 7: So what's behind this price hike?

00:21:38
Speaker 1: Let's go to greed. Well, when you're a corrupt city. You need more money to pay off all the graft. Well, and let's not forget the Lax line. Sure they're going to tell you that this is all about wanting you to take public transportation, even though that does not exist.

00:21:58
Speaker 2: No, no, no, no no. This is what they've been going after ride share since it was invented, because they would much rather have you pay an arm and a leg to park at that airport. Yes, and they.

00:22:11
Speaker 1: Also want you on their murder trains, but.

00:22:14
Speaker 2: The murder trains don't even go to the airport.

00:22:16
Speaker 1: No, they want you to take the murder train to stop where you then take a murder bus to the airport.

00:22:23
Speaker 6: Fox limbs at Lasko, SA at LAX with.

00:22:25
Speaker 2: More ed marl.

00:22:27
Speaker 5: It's really all about controlling the traffic congestion, easing that congestion as it moves around the horseshoe, the upper level, the lower level of LAX and all the terminals. And we're talking about new fee increases here right across the line for ride share services, whether it's Uber lift taxis limbos, all affected paying more, which means you'll be paying more. The cost always passed on to the traveler, the passenger Joe, take us right into the story, will you. This is the main ride sharing lot here, right off the terminals themselves, real busy.

00:22:57
Speaker 2: Eddie's at the LA Exit lot, which is one of the dumbest ideas of all time.

00:23:02
Speaker 1: They find ways to make traveling more uncomfortable, and they just have an endless supply of bad ideas, and they don't actually believe in that it's supposed to solve congestion.

00:23:15
Speaker 2: Because here's what happens. They decided to make an exception for black. So most people say, scrut to the lax A lot and pay through the nose for black pickup.

00:23:26
Speaker 1: Because that's what you have to do to make your flights, especially with TSA melting down.

00:23:31
Speaker 4: On this Tuesday night.

00:23:32
Speaker 5: And as way it goes, with these new fees, you'll be paying two dollars more to get picked up here dropped off here by a ride share of service. All of that starts in thirty days, so it'll go from the four dollar fee now up to a six dollar fee.

00:23:45
Speaker 2: That's right. The fees are being enacted, and again they're saying they need to do this to encourage people to ride the people mover. People Mover doesn't exist.

00:23:53
Speaker 1: Yet nope, and given what the state of California did with the bullet train, who knows, maybe it'll never exist.

00:24:02
Speaker 5: Again starting in thirty days, so you have a little time to prepare for that and even the more expensive fee increase coming. If you go curbside to the video we go, we'll get the other side of the story there. It is the Lax terminals and that fame traffic the main congestion moving through and it really hasn't even hit like a busy Friday night with all the red eyes getting through here, so you can you know, for all.

00:24:23
Speaker 2: The international visitors coming here, from the beginning to the end of their experience, it's going to be what the hell is wrong with Los Angeles, Because you go to any other major airport, including you know, as awful as Hartsfield Jackson is in Atlanta, no airport is as badly managed and badly run and filthy as Lax.

00:24:44
Speaker 1: I don't think they know what's coming. When the world comes here for the Olympics, people are going to be shocked at the condition of this city, and the articles that are going to be written in newspapers all over the globe are going to be brutal.

00:25:00
Speaker 5: Friday night with all the red eyes getting through here, so you can just imagine the traffic going through in any event, though we're talking about these new fees. If it goes curbside, you want to get picked up dropped off there by your ride sharing service. You're talking about an increase from five dollars now up to twelve dollars that is coming.

00:25:16
Speaker 2: That is criminal. In any other context, that would be regarded as price gouging. And this is the same government that says they like to go after price gouging unless they're the ones that are doing it. And sure the mayor and the city council will say, well, this is just the Los Angeles World Airport border commissioners. Yeah, but who appoints them?

00:25:39
Speaker 1: This is what they always do. They always have some appointed border commission do their dirty work, and then when you go nuts, they go, well, that wasn't me, that was an independent border commission, So don't blame me, even though they're the ones responsible for appointing them, and they give them the direction to take.

00:25:57
Speaker 5: That is coming soon, probably sometime later this summer when that goes into effect. Talking to the travelers, the passengers tonight, oh they don't like it because they know they're the ones who are gonna have to be putting the bill with this higher fee. And then you talk to the ride chair drivers themselves uber lyft drivers. They are frustrated, telling me they're barely hanging on the way it is now, worried that these new fees will even cut into their service, cut into their bottom line even more.

00:26:21
Speaker 4: And wow, they're just downright frustrated.

00:26:23
Speaker 8: Listen, I can tell you one hundred thousands of people driving for uber Leaf and people like me are sacrificing losing my house. I can't make it.

00:26:33
Speaker 2: And then this new in oh boy, well, and you know that the passengers are going to be nasty when they get in the back of the car because they're gonna look at this fee and they're gonna be furious, but they can't take it out on Karen Bath, so they're gonna take it out on the driver.

00:26:48
Speaker 4: And then this new increase really hurts more.

00:26:50
Speaker 8: Yeah, yeah, it is, it is, it is, and it's very sad. But we don't charge them. They charge. We are not access to charge passengers. They charge uber if they charge the charge them.

00:27:02
Speaker 2: So this could it's gonna be really hard if you're making your living as a rideshare driver because your earnings just have gone down every single year. Do you remember when these services first came out, The whole attractive thing about it over a taxi was, Hey, we're paying our guys directly, so you don't have to tip them. And now as soon as you get in the car, the first thing it says, before the ride has even started is hey, are you tipping them twenty percent or twenty five percent?

00:27:28
Speaker 4: So this could be the end of you're driving. Maybe huh.

00:27:31
Speaker 8: Well, I'm looking for different jobs, but I can't find them.

00:27:34
Speaker 2: This is very sad. Hey, man, everything then squeeze squeeze like lemon squeeze, you drive, you throw you away. Yeah, I am feeling pretty squeezed, you know.

00:27:47
Speaker 4: But he doesn't apply to the drivers, right, They do whatever they want. They just take the money.

00:27:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, it doesn't apply to us anyway.

00:27:55
Speaker 7: The whole time we were like just walking over here from the terminal, we were watching the process go like already and forty dollars just before we even booked our uber.

00:28:03
Speaker 2: And then now again, there is a real when when people from other parts of the country come to Los Angeles, there is such a massive sticker shock for everything.

00:28:15
Speaker 1: Again, this is where the regional airports are so much better than LAX. You can get an uber from one of those regional airports. It's probably closer to your house than LAX, unless you live in the Westchester area or I guess the South Bay and they don't kill you with the fees like they do with LAX.

00:28:35
Speaker 2: I'm probably even though there's more traffic, it's about the same distance from my house to get to LAX as opposed to getting to Burbank Airport. There's just a mountain range in the way, but it is a one hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars uber ride compared to a seventy dollars uber ride.

00:28:54
Speaker 1: I was about the same distance when I lived in Los Angeles from Burbank Airport as I was to LAX. And whenever I was given the option, I took Burbank ten times out of ten and I didn't even care if I had to change flights because flying out of Burbank was so much easier.

00:29:13
Speaker 4: And then now again, thirty days is.

00:29:15
Speaker 2: How many times was that flight delayed? Well, I fly American so pretty often. Yeah, as bad as LAX is I if I can get a direct, I take a direct. I don't mess around with having to change planes.

00:29:29
Speaker 1: Oh I change planes. I don't even care. I have a membership to the Admirals Club, So if it's delayed for a long time, I just get drunker.

00:29:38
Speaker 4: And then now again, thirty days is going to be two bucks more just to come.

00:29:41
Speaker 7: Here to the long that's outrageous. They shouldn't do that to people.

00:29:45
Speaker 4: I mean, you got to pay it, I know, I know.

00:29:48
Speaker 7: I mean it would really help their tourism if they wouldn't do that.

00:29:50
Speaker 2: You know, she's going to go back to South Carolina or wherever the hell she's from and tell all of her friends what a rip off LA was. And that's just getting get into the airport, I know. Now.

00:30:02
Speaker 5: Uber out tonight criticizing the fair increases check it, saying, quote, raising the LAX ride share fees would punish travelers, working families, and seniors who depend on affordable and reliable transportation.

00:30:14
Speaker 2: Well, Uber and Lyft haven't been affordable in many years, so let's just stop it right there.

00:30:19
Speaker 1: Well, and you're essentially forced to use Uber lyft if you're flying in and out of LAX because the parking is so insanely expensive, and because no one wants to drop you off because it's such a nightmare going through that horseshoe.

00:30:33
Speaker 2: Well, and part of the reason that horseshoe is such a nightmare. As much as they want to blame it on ride share, let's all remember that that traffic has been bad before ride share even existed. It is because of all of the shuttle buses from the different rental car companies, because we still don't have a single rental car facility like every other airport, from all the hotels, from all of the other parking lot companies, from the other LAX parking lots, and LAX there are so many buses all honking at each other at all times. It's impossible to get in and out of there, to get your bags out and move into the terminal.

00:31:11
Speaker 1: And just being there hearing the honking and seeing the driver screaming at one another and cutting each other off. I have so much anxiety. My blood pressure goes through the roof.

00:31:23
Speaker 5: Uber supports improving LAX, but not on the backs of the people who keep it running.

00:31:28
Speaker 4: Stop quote.

00:31:29
Speaker 5: Now we're back out live and you are looking live at another part of this story. That's the main entrance there, the upper level of the Skyling trains that people Mover as it's called.

00:31:38
Speaker 2: And that doesn't exist the theoretical people Mover and broke ground in twenty nineteen. It was supposed to be completed in twenty twenty three, John, what year is it. It's twenty twenty six.

00:31:51
Speaker 5: And that new increase if you're dropped off curbside from five to twelve dollars, that goes into effect once that people Mover is up and running. Your guess is as good is mine. You know, it's already been delayed a couple of times. They're saying maybe sometime later this year, sometime this summer, the people Mover might be up and running. So when that is going, then that new fee increased to be dropped off curb side goes into effect as well.

00:32:13
Speaker 2: So, and apparently one of the reasons, outside of like actual construction, one of the things that's holding up the finishing of the People Mover is all of the contracts that LAX has with all of these bus unions. Well, if they can't increase the fees until the People Mover is operational, then maybe we'll never have to pay that tax.

00:32:35
Speaker 5: So when that is going then that new fee increased to be dropped off curbside goes into effect as well.

00:32:41
Speaker 4: So in any event, all of this is playing off.

00:32:43
Speaker 5: But again it's really late a way of, as the airport commissioners say, controlling all of the traffic going in here.

00:32:49
Speaker 4: Quick question for you, ladies, I learned this today.

00:32:52
Speaker 5: What do you think on an average day, just one day alone, how many vehicles do you think go through here?

00:32:57
Speaker 4: Lax? One day alone? Take a guess, wild guess ooh seventy five thousand?

00:33:02
Speaker 5: Yes, nah, now up higher higher, one more higher, a little higher, one hundred and twenty.

00:33:07
Speaker 2: Hey, it's a little game show here.

00:33:09
Speaker 1: Yeah, Ed could host the prices right, Nah, a little lower.

00:33:12
Speaker 4: I feel like Bob Barker here in the press.

00:33:19
Speaker 2: Ed should be a game show host, and honestly, he could do anything. He is a utility man because he does his crime stories. He could definitely do play by play and he could also do game shows.

00:33:30
Speaker 4: Nah, a little lower. I feel like Bob Barker here in the press.

00:33:32
Speaker 6: Right on hundred, No.

00:33:34
Speaker 5: No, a hundred you got it. Yes, yes, that's exactly what the airport commissioners were saying. On any given day, one hundred thousand vehicles moving through here and they say it's just too much. The airport, this infrastructure here can handle it.

00:33:48
Speaker 2: So it's all because it is and from the beginning a terrible idea for an airport to be in a place where you cannot expand it. DFW is practically in its own city. It's such a massive airport, and even though it serves about as many people as LAX, it's pretty simple to get in and out of there, and from terminal to terminal. LAX was poorly designed from the beginning, like everything else here, So it's all.

00:34:16
Speaker 5: A way of moving people more into the transportation, that skyling train once it's up and going, and of course they're trying to get ready for the big World Cup and all the travelers it'll be coming here this summer, so a lot playing out here at LAX tonight.

00:34:27
Speaker 6: Yeah, and let's focus on that part for just a second because obviously the higher fees, that's definitely an ouch for everybody. But the whole idea is to ease that congestion that we know is a part of LAX.

00:34:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's not going to ease the congestion because people are not going to be taking Metro, even if the people mover is completed. The vast majority of the residents of California, if southern California, in the city of Los Angeles, live in the valley, and there's no real way to get from the valley to that airport. Did I ever tell about the time my dad was supposed to go to a business meeting in Puerto Rico and he was being dropped off at lax and his wife was pulling into the horseshoe and it was just backed up till Kingdom come and he told her to just turn the car around and go right back to Orange County. He wasn't going to fool around with that.

00:35:22
Speaker 5: Yeah, that is a very very big concern because we see it on those busy nights, holidays, but even summertime when you're coming up and as somebody was saying tonight, you know, spring break is coming up too.

00:35:30
Speaker 4: In a couple of weeks, it's going to get very busy.

00:35:32
Speaker 5: But you as sometimes as you're trying to move through here, just trying to get into let's say the upper level or even the lower level, you might wait sometimes forty five minutes for an hour. I know that sounds crazy, but that's how heavy that traffic is with the three four lanes, just jam bumper to bumper, and then everybody trying to move closer to the pickups on the curb side.

00:35:49
Speaker 2: And let's not forget one of the reasons that there's so much congestion at LAX is because LAX has been perpetually under construction for my entire life.

00:35:59
Speaker 1: I always say it it's like the set of Murphy Brown.

00:36:02
Speaker 5: And then you add all the ride share you know, folks that are coming in. So yes, it's a tremendous congestion. They really want to ease that. They're really banking a lot, as we've been reporting on over and over again, that people move her once it's up and going, but there's been a lot of frustration with that, delays with that, so they're hoping this summer it'll be going and that's when new fees increase and all of this. Though, it's got that tight deadline, ladies, because think about it, what's like three months away and we're into the World Cup coming here, so boy, it is a tight deadline.

00:36:29
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean we're eighty something days away now, I think, or ninety something yeah, days away until the World Cup, and we need to get you.

00:36:37
Speaker 2: How great would it be? By the way, and this is a long shot, but Karen Bass, who won't stop talking about the world coming for the World Cup? How great would it be if she gets knocked out in the primary before that happens. It could happen, and.

00:36:49
Speaker 7: We need to get you one of those little skinny microphones.

00:36:52
Speaker 5: Call you, Ed Barker, Nah, Yes, like the great, the legendary Bob Barker.

00:36:57
Speaker 4: Yeah, rest his soul? All right, good, thank you, Ed.

00:37:01
Speaker 2: So that's the latest of what's going on at lax. The fees are getting hiked immediately if you in thirty days have you used the laxit lot, if you get dropped off curbside. Those fee increases don't take effect until the people mover is officially open, which is supposed to happen.

00:37:18
Speaker 1: Who knows John's advice? Fly Out Ontario eight hundred two two two five two two two is telephone number. What eight hundred two two two five two two two. If you'd like to email the show, you can do so at Johnny Don't like show at gmail dot com. That's Johnny Don't like show at gmail dot com. And Randy you're monitoring the mail bag.

00:37:42
Speaker 2: Well, this is really cool, Allison writes in at Johnny don't like show at gmail dot com. I heard the Saturday show while I was in Ventura County. Hey, John and Randy, you're right that five eighty am signal is strong. I was in Westlake Village at noon and continue to see me Valley listening all the way. While the reception wasn't as great as seven ninety, I could hear it well enough to know that you had that Daily Show spoof on Gavin Newsom. I went home and watched it again on YouTube. That's great. So that five eighty signal Saturday at noon goes all the way down to Ventura County. That is a flamethrower for sure. All Right,