In his State of the City speech last month, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa declared that it was important to imagine a future "in which Los Angeles is the greenest and cleanest big city in America."
Not stopping at that, the mayor also declared, "And because you can't be a great global city if you're not a great global citizen, we're cutting our contribution to greenhouse emissions."
Greenhouse gases are the pollutants that are causing global warming, many scientists believe. And that raises a question....
*
Q: What is Jaime de la Vega, the deputy mayor in charge of transportation and mass transit policy, doing to help Los Angeles reduce greenhouse gases?
A: Driving around town in a shiny Hummer H3, which sure looks a lot more comfy than a seat on the bus.
The 5,850-pound H3 is actually the runt of the Hummer litter -- the other models are larger. It gets 16 miles per gallon in the city and 19 on the highway and belches an estimated 10.6 tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year, according to government estimates.
The Environmental Protection Agency gave the H3 an air pollution score of 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best.
Of course, De la Vega has every right to buy whichever vehicle he chooses and, in this case, he has forgone a taxpayer-subsidized vehicle. And, in fact, there are many types of SUVs and regular cars that guzzle more gas.
But ... please.
The Hummer has come to represent excessive consumption, and what message does it send, particularly when working for someone who is positioning himself politically as Mr. Clean?
De la Vega declined to comment.
Of course, as deputy mayor in charge of mass transit policy, De la Vega could take mass transit to work. Hint: Try the trip planner at www.mta.net.
*
Q: How are some other city officials working on climate change?
A: Driving big SUVs.
Villaraigosa often tootles around town in a city-owned GMC Yukon that, like the Hummer H3, gets bad mileage. City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo also uses a city-owned Yukon, the perfect truck to navigate Los Angeles' frequent blizzards. Also driving city-owned SUVs that drink gas in the same manner that Homer Simpson quaffs beer are council members Tony Cardenas (2002 Chevy Tahoe) and Dennis Zine (2005 Mercury Mountaineer).
There is good news. Four council members are trying to control their emissions -- Wendy Greuel, Janice Hahn, Jan Perry and Bill Rosendahl all drive hybrids owned by the city.
