Recent Streetsblog LA posts about Car Dependence

Mayor, Garcetti, and Englander Call for Exempting Auto Dealers from City’s Business Tax

By Damien Newton | Nov 8, 2011 | 9 Comments

Picture this. One day one of the most important political figures in the city stands in front of a major Downtown attraction and announces that train service to this attraction will be increased dramatically in the coming weeks. The next day, a major political figure, flanked by an up-and-coming political star and the City Council […]

Streetsbloggers Respond to the Times’ Buy Here Pay Here Series

By Streetsblog | Nov 8, 2011 | 6 Comments

First, let’s state for the record that Ken Bensinger and the Los Angeles Times did a public service by shining a harsh light on the largely unregulated “Buy Here Pay Here” used car dealership industry. Too many dealers in this industry and preying on poor people desperate for a car by intentionally driving up their […]

Is State Wasting Money on Bloated Car Fleet? Gov. Orders Car Cuts.

By Damien Newton | Jan 28, 2011 | 5 Comments

In an effort to balance the state budget, Governor Jerry Brown ordered all state agencies to immediately review their policies towards owning vehicles on behalf of the state and policies allowing permits for take-home vehicles, which allow state employees to use state-owned passenger cars for their daily commute. If a permit is deemed non-essential, then […]

Driven to the Poorhouse: How Car Title Lenders Prey on Americans

By Catherine Lutz and Anne Lutz Fernandez | Nov 10, 2010 | No Comments

The cheerful come-ons seem more cheesy than sleazy — “Looking for a New Way to Borrow?” “Apply Now-Get Cash Today!” “Go From $0 to Cash in Less Than an Hour” — but these are not the friendly offers of local diversified banks. They are the insidious pitches of companies that do one thing very well: […]